There's more
by Pippeloen
Summary: AU. We're back at the beginning. But what if things were a little bit different for Andy? She is struggling to do her job and handle her personal life. What is going on with her?
1. Chapter 1

This is the first story I ever wrote.

English also isn't my first language, so be nice if you leave a review.

I own nothing.

Andy was running through 15th division to make it to parade on time. She was running late, again.

Since she started her job at 15th division two weeks ago this was something that happened a lot.  
She knew she had to step it up if she wanted to close off her time as a rookie with a positive evaluation.

''Traci'' she called out when she ran into the locker room.

''Andy, you made it. You better hurry, parade is starting in ten minutes''.

''I know that Trace, I did everything I could to make it on time but you know how it gets sometimes.'' Traci nodded at her and walked towards the door.

''I'll save you a seat sweetie, just get changed real quick. You'll be fine.''

Andy changed as quick as humanly possible and ran towards the parade room. While she crossed the corner she almost ran into detective Callaghan. He almost dropped a few files because of it.

''I'm so sorry!'' she called out.

''Wow, don't worry about it. Andy McNally right?'' Luke responded.

''Yeah, look I'm really sorry but I've got to go. I'm already cutting it close to parade.''

''It's fine Andy, I'll walk you there.'' Andy thought it was a little bit unnecessary to get an escort to parade, but she thought it wasn't worth an argument. While walking she started to feel a little bit uneasy. Detective Callaghan looked at her with a look she recognized as giving her a look over.

''So'' he said ''How do you like being a rookie?''

''It's great'' she responded ''it's all I ever wanted, but you know it's hard sometimes. But I'm doing fine, it's great, really great, I love it.''

''Your training officer treating you all right?'' he asked her while he was getting in her personal space.

''Yeah, he's fine, great I mean'' she replied quickly.

''Must be hard with the start the two of you had'' he said with a grin on his face.

''Well, I wasn't exactly living the dream when I found out I arrested an undercover cop on my first day. But Swarek doesn't seem one to hold a grudge for long, so we'll be fine.'' Truth is, Andy was surprised with how quickly things turned around between her and her training officer. With the way he treated her the first day, she thought she would be in for one hell of a ride. But since the day she first drove with him as her training officer he was turning around.

''Well, that's not how I know Sammy'' Callaghan said to her. ''Just come and find me if he's giving you trouble.'' Andy was standing in front of the parade room when she looked him in the eye.

''I'm sure we'll be fine, but thank you detective Callaghan.'' Callaghan smirked again ''It's Luke, you can call me Luke.''

Andy turned around and walked into the parade while smiling at him ''Okay Luke, I'll see you later''

Andy quickly found her spot next to Traci and sighed with relief when she found out Boyko didn't start parade yet. ''Soooo…'' Traci said to her with a big smile on your face. ''It certainly looks like a certain detective noticed you.''

''Yeah, it was kind of hard for him not to considering I almost ran him over'' Andy replied while looking the other way.

''I don't know Andy, the way he looks at you tells me he's interested. And why wouldn't he be, come on it's been a long time for you. Just go back out there.

'' Andy looked Traci in the eye. ''Traci, just because you are dating some hot shot detective doesn't mean we all want to. Right now I just need to focus. It's already hard enough to handle everything at home and my job at the same time. Dating will only cost more trouble.'' Andy was cut off by Boyko who started parade. He started giving assignments. As usual Andy was with Swarek. As soon as Boyko was done, she walked to the coffee machine to grab two coffees.

Sam was walking through the division when Luke came up to him. ''Hey Sammy'' he heard the detective say.

Sam stopped walking and looked at the detective. ''Callaghan, how can I help you?'' The two of them weren't exactly friends, but Sam always made sure he kept their personal issues away from the barn. He respected the detective for the great work he did and the way he did it. Callaghan just wasn't a type he could become friends with.

''I just wanted to check if you know if McNally is seeing anyone?'' Luke asked Sam casually. Sam already expected that the detective would go after one of the new rookies. He expected it to be Peck but was annoyed when he found out it was McNally. It wasn't like she was his type or anything he thought. It's just that she's his rookie, so he thinks it's his responsibility to make sure she's okay and focused on her job.

''Not that I know of Callaghan, but we don't really talk about our personal lives a lot.'' Callaghan walked away and smiled at Sam.

''That is good to know Sammy, good to know.'' Sam walked away and was irritated about the fact that he cared about this. He justified it as a natural protectiveness over his rookie, nothing more than that.

A couple of hours later Sam and Andy were driving. It had been a busy day, but now they didn't have a call in over 30 minutes. ''So, I got a visit from your favorite homicide detective this morning'' Sam said to her.

''And who would be my favorite homicide detective?'' Andy asked while she was searching for gum.

''Callaghan...he wanted to know if you were seeing someone.'' Andy dropped the gum she just found and immediately started to turn red.

''What, why, what did you tell him. I mean, what did you say?'' Sam looked over at Andy and chuckled at how shocked she looked.

''Calm down McNally, he asked me if you were seeing someone. He didn't ask if he should propose to you''

''But like, what did you say, I mean...'' Sam sighed and parked the cruiser. ''McNally, I told him I didn't exactly know. Just thought I should give you a heads up.''

''Yeah, yeah okay thank you.'' Andy looked out of the window again. Andy knew she wasn't exactly hard to look at and she also knew there was a chance someone would be interested in her when she started working at a new place. She just didn't think it would happen so quickly. It wasn't like she wasn't flattered, she was. She just found it very hard to handle dating. She knew that if she brought someone new in her life it would complicate things. But maybe Traci was right, maybe she should go back out there. It had been a long time since she actually dated someone.

''Do you see where we are McNally?'' Sam asked her.

''What? We're in a parking lot, have I missed a call?'' she asked him while looking around her to see if there was something wrong.

''Yes, you missed me calling out for coffee. Now here's some money, I'll take the usual and grab yourself something too''

''Okay sir.'' McNally said while she got out of the cruiser and started walking towards the shop.

Sam looked at her walk away. He knew since the night outside the Black Penny where they almost kissed that there was an attraction between them. He also knew that he was 100% capable of holding his feelings in check. He might not be seen as a rule follower, the rule that training officers and rookies should stay away from each other was a rule he did follow. That didn't mean he had to like the possibility that McNally started dating Callaghan. He would make sure to keep an eye out for her. He owed that to her.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the second chapter of this story

It should become a little bit more clear where I'm going with this now.

Once again, I own absolutely nothing.

''So, you ready for your big date tonight?'' Traci asked Andy as she helped her get in her dress. Traci knew that Andy was nervous, so she tried to keep the teasing to a minimum.

''I don't know if this is such a good idea Trace'' Andy responded while she was checking her make up once again. ''It's the first date I've gone on in almost two years. What if I just don't remember what to do anymore.''

''You'll be fine, it's like riding a bike. It hurts every time you fall off the bike.'' Traci saw a small smile appear on her friends face and she was glad that she made that happen. ''What's the worst that could happen?''

''Well, he could think I'm a total idiot, I can screw up really bad, basically there are like a million ways for me to mess this up.'' Andy put on her heels and flipped her hair back. She was wearing a red dress that reached the middle of her thighs. ''Traci, seriously I really don't know if this is a good idea. I work with him. If this goes totally wrong I will have to see his face at work every single day.''

''What's that thing Swarek told you? Don't overthink it? I think you should use that little piece of advice right now. Really seems appropriate to me.'' Traci gave her friend a long and good look. ''Honey, you look absolutely beautiful.''

''Will you be okay all night long? I know it's a lot to ask of you but I just don't quite trust my dad yet at nights. All though he really is making a huge effort.''

''Honey, for the last time. I've got everything under control, you go out and have fun.'' Traci walked out of Andy's bedroom and moved to the couch. ''Besides, Chris and Dov live like 2 minutes away so in case something happens I've always got back up.'' Traci hesitated a moment before she asked the next question. ''Andy, are you going to tell Luke about Lissy?''

Andy sighed and gave the child playing on the floor a long and good look. ''Not right now Traci. You understand, if I tell him now he'll probably just think I'm totally unqualified to be a cop'' Traci started protesting but Andy stopped her by putting her hand in the air. ''You haven't told anyone about Leo at first. You know how this world works. When you have a child all of the sudden people think you can't do a job. Especially not a job like ours. I'm just really lucky that I've got my dad to help out during the days and your mom has been a sweetheart to take care of her some of the nights'''

Traci nodded at her friend. She totally understood where Andy was coming from. She hadn't even told Jerry about Leo until she was kind of forced to tell him something. Telling him she arrested the child in the cruiser seemed like an appealing lie, but it really was time that he learned the truth. Jerry had been really understanding and supportive about her decision, but she also understands that not all guys are like that. ''Sweetie, I know I kept Leo out of the picture at work at first. But since everyone knows it's like a weights lifted from my shoulders. Jerry took it really well, but I don't know if a lie is the best way to start this thing between you and Luke.''

''Traci, first of all there is nothing between me and Luke. This is the first date, it might not even go anywhere. And second of all, your situation is very different from mine. Leo's six years old already and he's got a dad who plays a part in his life.''

Trace snorted and made a noise that sounded like a ''hardly''.

''No matter how you put it Traci, it's different. And I've got to figure this out on my own terms. I'll tell everyone when I absolutely have to. Right now only you, Chris, Dov and Gail know. That's enough for me.''

''Okay, just keep in mind that telling everyone probably is less of a deal then you think it is. I mean it is 2010, there are a lot of single parent households'' Traci picked up Lissy and gave her a kiss on her head. ''Plus this is one gorgeous baby you've got here Andy. There is absolutely no shame in that.''

Andy looked at her daughter and all her nerves sort of disappeared for a moment. She still struggled with everything that happened and how it all happened, but she knew she loved her daughter more than anything. A single look at her could make her nerves disappear and her world turn just a little bit slower. ''God, I love that child. Like such a ridiculous amount.''

''I know you do, and I know you think you are protecting her. But just take in consideration that your co workers probably won't be as shocked as you think.''

''Well Traci, I don't know about that. I mean, they get five rookies and two of them are single parents. I can already imagine Shaw's speech about kids these days''

Traci started laughing and Andy joined her. Andy took Lissy from Traci and gave her daughter a big hug and kiss. ''You go and have fun with aunt Traci okay sweetie? Be a good girl and mommy will come and pick you up as soon as she can.'' Andy handed the baby back to Traci and picked up her purse. ''I told Luke I'd meet him at the restaurant at seven thirty so I better leave right now.''

''Okay, you have fun. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Dex will drop off Leo at eight and my mom will be home around nine so we'll all keep an eye on your little girl.''

''Can't thank you enough for everything you do Trace, you are seriously the best friend ever.'' Andy walked to the door and gave Lissy one last hand kiss before she disappeared though the door.

''So baby girl, it looks like it's just me and you for a little while.'' Lissy looked up at Traci and gave her a big toothless smile. ''Yeah sweetie, we'll have fun don't we?''

Andy rushed into the restaurant noticing she was only five minutes late. She was quite impressed with herself. ''Hello, I've got a reservation'' she told the girl standing at the entrance.

''Name?'' the girl replied to her.

''McNally'' Andy thought about it for a moment and quickly changed her mind. ''No sorry, the reservations are probably under the name off Callaghan.''

The girl checked the computer and quickly found her reservations. ''If you walk with me, I will walk you to your table.''

Andy followed the girl and saw Luke sitting at one of the tables. She looked around the restaurant and thought it all looked really romantic. She was in one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. Something that really didn't settle her nerves. She always had been more of a pizza or steak kind of girl. But since Lissy was born her meals became less and less fancy. She always made sure she eat enough and healthy, but fancy dinners just seemed like a waste of time now.

''So you made it.'' Luke stood up and kissed her cheek. ''I was starting to worry I was getting stood up.''

''Yeah, I'm really sorry. Traffic was crazy so it took me a lot longer to get here then I thought it would.'' Andy looked at Luke and was impressed with how he looked. He always looked good and always wore a suit to work. But tonight he looked more relaxed then he normally does.

''You look amazing Andy, really beautiful.''

''I was just thinking the same thing about you.'' Andy gave him a small smile and prayed that she didn't turn to red after his compliment.

''I already ordered a bottle of wine if that is okay with you?'' Luke poured her glass full with red wine that probably cost more than she could afford.

''Uhm, yeah sure that's great. I do have to drive tough so I probably should keep it at just one glass.''

Andy gave him a shy smile and was already calculating in her mind how she could pay for the bill later on. She knew he probably would offer to pay, he seemed like a gentle man. But she felt like she should at least offer to pay halve. Right now she was praying he wouldn't accept that offer.

''I still don't understand why you wouldn't let me pick you up at your apartment. Meeting a girl at a restaurant is not something a gentlemen does.'' Luke gave Andy his million dollar smile.

She couldn't let him pick her up at her apartment. There was always a chance he would find a way to get inside. All the toys lying around kind of give away the fact she isn't the only one living there.

''I had a few things I needed to do, so this was the best option.''

''It's okay, I was just glad you finally agreed to go out with me. You sure know how to make a guy sweat.''

''Yeah, I bet you probably don't have to work really hard to get girls to go out with you do you?'' Andy sounded a lot more negative then she meant it.

''What do you mean by that?''

''I'm sorry, I didn't really mean anything. What I wanted to say is that you are really good looking, you've got a good job. Women all over Toronto are probably dying to go out with someone like you.'' Andy tried to fix her mistake before this date goes to hell before it even started.

''Andy, no matter what you think. I'm not some womanizer. This actually is the first date I've gone on in months. You're right when you say that women are willing to go out with me. But they can't really look past the long hours and the moments you get called away'' Luke knew this probably would be easier with Andy. She worked law enforcement to, she knows the importance of the job and the pressure it can bring along.

''Yeah, I kind of do get that. Some people just don't get that priority's in life aren't the same for everyone.'' Andy thought maybe this was the moment to tell him about Lissy, but she was already interrupted by him before she could say something.

''I'm so glad you understand, now shall we order?''

Their date went fine. Even great maybe. They made small talk, laughed together and the food was great. At the end of the evening Luke wanted to pay the whole bill. Andy offered to pay halve, but she also thanked God he reclined that offer. There was no way she could have paid that bill and still have money to pay for rent. They both felt a spark between them, but Andy was still hesitant. She knew that whatever she was getting herself into, she was dragging her daughter along with her. Even if Luke didn't know about Lissy yet, at the end of the day the two of them were a package deal.

Andy took her phone out of her purse to make sure she didn't miss any phone calls from Traci. She checked her phone and found one text message from Traci.

_-You're daughter is sleeping like an angel. Pick her up tomorrow, so you can have the night to yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, so that means you can totally go home with homicide ;)-_

Andy gasped a little and Luke noticed something was wrong. ''What's up'' he asked her ''Anything wrong?''

Andy looked at him and shook her head ''No, everything is fine.'' She knew that all though she enjoyed her evening. There was no way she was going home with him tonight. She needed to protect herself and her daughter by taking things slow.

''Okay great, let me walk you to your car.'' Luke looked around the parking lot. ''Which car is yours?''

''The silver one in the back.'' Andy and Luke walked together and their hands brushed each other. Andy felt a shiver run up her spine. When they were in front of her car Luke spoke up. ''I really had a great time Andy, I hope we can do this again sometime.''

''Me too'' Andy replied. She looked up and felt his hands on her chin, he pushed her chin up and gave her a kiss. It was a small and sweet kiss. ''Good night Andy, see you tomorrow.''

''Yeah, bye'' Andy replied.

The next morning Andy made sure she was at Traci's before Lissy usually woke up. Andy knew where Traci kept her spare key and let herself in knowing the rest of the house was probably still sleeping. Andy walked into the spare room where Lissy was just stirring. ''Hey baby girl. Mommy missed you last night.'' Andy picked up her daughter and cradled her in her arms. Lissy nine months old now and Andy was amazed by how big she already was. She could still remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. The moment Andy told Lissy's father she was pregnant, he told her she could either terminate the pregnancy or do everything on her own. An abortion was never an option so Andy knew from the start she was on her own. Her dad really made an effort to sober up for her. He was doing really good and Andy was so proud of him. Her friends also played a huge role in where she was now. It might look like she was on her own, but she had a huge back up system all the time. Especially Traci and her mom had been amazing. Traci knew how it felt to raise a child while you're not together with the father. And Mrs. Nash just seemed to want to take care of everybody.

''So, you went back to Callaghan's place or did you sleep in your own bed?'' Andy heard a voice behind her say and she turned around.

''I went home, thank you very much.''

''Alone?''

''Yes Trace, Alone!''

''Shame'' Traci said while giggling.

''I don't sleep with guys on the first date, you know that.'' Andy was still cuddling with her daughter and decided she better started to get Lissy ready for her day.

''Like I said. That's a shame. But did you at least have fun?'' Traci asked her.

''I had a lot of fun actually.'' Andy thought back and didn't remember feeling so relaxed as she felt with Luke.

''And nothing happened?''

''He kissed me, but it was like a really small and sweet kiss.''

''Good for you sweetie. You deserve to be happy!''

''I know'' Andy looked at her best friend and gave her a big hug. ''Really love you Trace, thanks for watching her last night.''

Like she was used to by now Andy was riding with Sam. They had been driving around for halve an hour but nothing major had happened yet. ''So'' Sam started ''Rumor has it you are dating Callaghan.''

''What?'' Andy said, her head snapping up immediately. ''Who told you that?''

''Well, Callaghan took the night off and told everyone he got a hot date. You guys serious?'' Sam looked over at his rookie. He didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, but the idea of her dating Callaghan made him sick. At first he thought there was just a physical attraction between them. But lately he could really feel himself falling for this girl. He knew he had to get his act together. Not only was she off limits because she was his rookie, she apparently also was dating someone else. Sam knew he couldn't let his judgement about her get clouded. He needed his head in the game. If anything happened because he was focussing on the wrong things both their asses were on the line.

''We really aren't dating-dating'' Andy told Sam while she was still struggling to breath. She thought the only one at the barn knowing about their date was Traci.

''Care to explain the difference between dating-dating and regular dating?'' Sam smirked at her even though he really didn't enjoy this conversation at all.

''We went on one date okay? Like one dinner, I didn't even sleep with him.'' The words came out of her mouth before she realized it and she was turning red again. She quickly looked over at Sam who was coughing. He just took a sip of coffee before she said that and was now almost chocking. ''Oh my God, I so did not mean to say that to you.''

''Okay McNally, good to know.'' Sam tried to get his act together again. ''Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you might want to be a little bit careful. Callaghan is a good and solid guy, but he picks a different rookie every year.''

''Yeah, no thank you I can totally take care of myself.'' Andy was still embarrassed from her slip up. She didn't even want people to know she was dating and now she was talking about her sex life with her training officer. Rookie move.

Sam didn't mean to tell her about Luke's rookie of the year, but he couldn't help himself. He knew he had to keep his distance to McNally, but he sure as hell didn't have to like it if Callaghan got close to her.

The rest of their day was filled with a small incidents and complaints. Their day went by pretty fast and before they knew it they were back at the bar heading to the locker rooms. ''So brother, had a busy day?'' Oliver asked Sam when he walked in.

''Nothing major, went fine.'' Sam already showered and was changing into his jeans and t-shirt.

''I hear your rookie is dating Callaghan.'' Oliver noticed the way his friend looked at his rookie and wanted to make sure he knew what was going on.

''Yeah heard something about that to. Good for them.'' Sam tried to sound as casual as he could, but Oliver knew him for more than ten years so there was no fooling him.

''Listen brother, I know training officers and rookies aren't supposed to be anything together. But maybe if you just talk to her and sort things out..''

''Talk to her about what?''

Oliver looked at his friend and knew he was fighting a losing battle. There was no way that Sam was going to admit he has feelings for his rookie. ''I don't know man, anything.''

''Okay.'' Sam replied like he had no idea what just happened. ''You going to the Penny?''

''Yeah sure, will see you there.''

''Jup.'' Sam walked away and headed towards his truck. This were going to be a few interesting weeks.

_AN/ Updates probably won't be keep coming so fast. But I'll do my best to update at least once a week. Please leave a review and tell me what you think?  
Is the spelling and grammar correct? Kind of nervous about that considering I never really did anything in English before. _


	3. Chapter 3

_So here is the thirth chapter of 'there's more'_

_Hope you'll enjoy it._

_I still don't own anything at all._

Andy walked into the Penny. She looked around and saw her friends sit at a table in the back. She knew Dov or Chris probably already made sure there was a drink with her name on it. Because of Lissy it was a rare occasion that Andy made it to the Penny. Mrs. Nash thought she needed to go out with her friends for a night so she offered to take Lissy. Andy didn't like the fact that she had to depend on others to go out, but she also knew she needed some time for herself. She loved her daughter with all her heart and she wouldn't change a single thing about her, but sometimes it was hard to do everything on her own.

_-Flashback-  
Andy looked down at the white stick in her hands. Two stripes, two stripes meant positive. Positive meant that she was pregnant. She knew she hadn't been careful enough. She had been on antibiotics because of an infection. Because of the antibiotics her pill didn't work. She knew that, she had told Mark that. So they used condoms, knowing that they weren't in the kind of relationship where you would want to bring a child into. Except once where they didn't use a condom. She was naive, thought it wouldn't matter so much. She heard stories about couples who tried for months and months to have a baby, and here she was after one time of unprotected sex. _

_Tears started to form in her eyes. She didn't want to be pregnant, not now and she never wanted Mark to be the father. _

_Mark wasn't the type of guy Andy thought she would end up with when she was in high school. She thought she would fall in love with someone who loved her, respected her and cherished her. She was hoping for a romantic ever after. Instead her home situation got out of hand. She needed to get out of her house because her dad had been drinking every night. She couldn't handle it anymore. Every night she had to drag his ass out of some sleazy bar. So she gave him an ultimatum, her or the booze. She never ever thought he would actually pick the bottle over her. He never did in words, but he did in actions. Every time after he would apologize and apologize, but every time it happened again. _

_So one night she had enough and she left. She was saving up for money for quite some time then. She found a small room above a store she could rent. It wasn't much, but it was hers and it was trouble free. But long nights alone started to get boring so she started to go out more. That is where she met Mark. At first he had been charming. She knew he was good looking and got a lot of attention from a lot of girls, but he laid his eyes on her. And for the first time in a long time she felt special and she needed that. It only took a few drinks before she was in his car, going with him to his apartment. After that night that was something that happened a lot. Drinking and ending up in bed together. She didn't even call him her boyfriend and she was pretty sure he wasn't exactly faithful to her all the time. But she didn't care, because for the first time in a long time she found someone who made her feel wanted. _

_And her she was now, pregnant with her... what was he? He wasn't exactly her friend with benefits because they weren't friends. She didn't even really liked his personality, all there was between them was a physical attraction. But now that physical attraction lead to a tiny human being growing inside of her. She immediately thought back to her own mother, she always told herself she was nothing like Claire. So she also knew she had to have this baby. This baby was going to know that he or she has a mother who loves it. _

_Four weeks went by without seeing or hearing from Mark. She knew she had to tell him, he had a right to know. So when her phone beeped late at night and she saw it was a message from him, nerves started to rise in her belly. _

_-You doing anything tonight baby?-_

_-No, you? I think maybe we should talk about a few things?'_

_-Talk? I know a better way to spend your time honey.-_

_She knew she would be better off if she just let him to believe she would come over so he could have his way with her. That is just how their relationship was. _

_-Okay, I'll come over?-_

_-Yes, come around 8-_

_She showered, changed, ate a small bite and then got to his apartment. The moment he opened the door his lips were on hers and he started tugging her coat of._

''_Mark wait.'' Andy tried so slap his hands away. She knew she had to tell him right now and she really wasn't in the mood for sex right now. Since the moment she saw that second line appear on the pregnancy test she wondered why the hell she let someone use her like this in the first place. She knew she always was a willing participant, but right now it just made her feel cheap. This was not the road she wanted for herself, she should have been more careful but now she had to deal with the consequents. _

''_Come on babe, don't be a party kill.'' Marks hand went back on her body and Andy closed her eyes. She didn't know how to do this, she didn't want to do this. She wanted to go back in time, she wanted to make responsible choices, find someone who actually cares about her. Not someone who just think she has a hot butt. _

''_I'm pregnant.'' She blurted it out without thinking. Sometimes she was glad that she had no filter, because at least now she told him, he knew._

''_What? Wow, is that suppose to be some kind of kinky role play? Because I am not really into pregnant ladies.''_

''_Well, I am pregnant. I found out four weeks ago and I know this is not really something we planned but it is true.''_

''_Who is the father?''_

''_You are, I'm sorry. We should have been more careful.''_

''_Yeah, God..'' Marks face fell and she didn't know what the hell he was thinking right now. It seemed like hours passed by while in reality it probably only was just a minute. _

''_Can you please say something?'' Andy pleaded. _

''_What do you want me to say? Are you absolutely sure I am the father, we almost always use protection Andy.''_

''_I'm sure, there hasn't been anybody else. And I guess this proves that it doesn't matter if you use protection most of the time.'' Andy felt tears starting to form in her eyes. _

''_Okay, well.. I'll take my responsibility then. I'll write you a check so you should make an appointment in one of those clinics. If you want me to I'll drive you.'' Mark started looking through drawers looking for a check book. _

''_I don't want to get an abortion Mark.'' Andy's tears were falling now. She never felt more vulnerable and weak in her life. She knew Mark wasn't ready to be a father. Hell, she wasn't ready to be a mother. But an abortion simply wasn't an option. _

''_You don't seriously think you can keep this baby do you? Andy come on, I know we've had some fun times but I need to focus on my job right now. I don't have time to handle a baby, and I don't even want kids.'' _

''_I know this is far from ideal, but it is what it is. I am pregnant and I am keeping the baby. Whether you want to be a part of this baby's life or not.'' Andy's voice started to rise and she was impressed that she could sound so firm when she'd rather crawl away crying. _

''_Sweetheart, I am trying to be the good guy here. I am offering you an out. I will pay for everything and we'll never mention this again. I'll even drive you to make this easier on you. '' Mark looked at her with fire in his eyes. Andy always knew that he could be an ass, but offering to pay for an abortion and thinking that was something a good guy would do, was a new low for him. _

''_The good guy? Seriously? You can't expect me to just get an abortion just because this isn't convenient for you.'' Andy was crying big tears by now. She had trouble breathing and couldn't think straight. _

''_Go home Andy, think about it. When you come to your senses we'll talk again.''_

''_I am not going to change my mind, I am keeping this baby.''_

''_Then I guess you're on your own.''_

''_I guess that's it then.'' Andy felt tired, so tired. She reached for the door knob and turned it. She walked out of his apartment. She just walked and walked, till all of the sudden she was in front of her father's house. She looked around and walked up to the porch. She took a deep breath and knocked. It took some time, but Tommy opened the door. She could smell the alcohol on him. When Tommy saw his little girl standing in front of his house, he immediately sobered up a little._

''_Andy, what's wrong sweetie?'' Andy launched herself at her father and cried harder then she cried since she was a fourteen year old girl. _

''_I need you dad.'' Tommy escorted his daughter inside the house and put her on the couch. _

_The next morning, when Tommy was sober and Andy didn't have any tears left to cry, she told him everything. Tommy promised her he would be there for her through the whole thing. Andy told him she needed him more than ever, but that he had to change himself. She couldn't let her child go through the same things she went through as a child. Tommy took his daughter in his arms and promised her he would be there for her. He would go to a program, he would do anything for her. _

_Things didn't magically get better after that, but Andy could tell that her father really tried to make a change. She tried talking to Mark a few times, but he kept saying he didn't want anything to do with her or the child. Andy told him that if he didn't want to be a part of his child's life now, he didn't have any right to come back later. He told her that she didn't have to worry about that. His goal in life never was to become a father and he was sure that would never change. _

_During Andy's pregnancy she had many moments where she doubted if she made the right decision. _

_All those doubts went away on the moments where she had a sonogram, could feel her baby kick or the moments she took just imagining how her baby would look. _

_The moment the doctor laid Lissy on her chest she knew that she made the right decision. She also knew that from this moment forward there would never be a moment she doubted that. Sure, things would be hard, but just looking at the tiny human being crying on her chest made her heart grow. _

_She thought she would do the right and grown up thing by sending Mark a text message. _

_-You have a daughter, I named her Lissy. We're both okay.-_

_His response came the next day._

_-No, you have a daughter. I never meant for anything like this to happen but this is the way is has to be Andy. Take care of yourself and her. Congratulations.-_

_After that she made peace with it all. She wasn't even mad at him. She didn't understand how anybody could deny his own child, but she also knew that he didn't ask to be a father. She took the decision of letting Lissy come into this world. She couldn't be mad at him for not wanting a child, this was his decision and she had to respect that. _

_-end flashback-_

''Andy, come here I already got you a beer.'' Chris gave Andy a hug and passed her the beer.

''Thanks Chris, wow it's good being out here again. I really missed you guys.'' Andy gave Dov, Gail and Traci a hug before she sat down.

''Yeah, you've really been avoiding us. But tonight that will all be forgotten because we are going to get drunk and we are going to have fun.'' Gail sounded like she already was halve way drunk.

The rookies enjoyed each other company. Andy could feel a certain pair of eyes on her back from time to time. She knew Sam was looking at her. He asked her once why she never came out to the Penny but she just told him she had a lot of stuff going on. Sometimes she thought she could tell him about Lissy. Something told her that he wouldn't care, wouldn't judge her any different and wouldn't see her as incapable. But until she was cut loose that was not a risk she was willing to take.

The last few weeks she started feeling uncomfortable around Sam. He always seemed to know when something was bothering her. He always knew what she needed to hear and in a way she started to depend on him. The last thing she wanted was to depend on someone who owed her absolutely nothing.

Since her first date with Luke, they went out two more times. She had fun both times but she wasn't sure if he was the right guy for her. She started thinking it wasn't fair towards him or her to not tell him about Lissy. Next time they went out she would tell him. That's what she kept telling herself.

The night went by really fast and before she knew it she was at home in her bed. She always felt a little out of place on nights that Lissy wasn't with her. She fell asleep thinking of the little girl who started to look like her more and more every day.

The next few days flew by. Andy had two days of which she spent alone with Lissy. Sometimes she felt bad for missing so much from her daughter's life, but she felt like she had to make an effort to make something off herself. She wanted to give Lissy an example that woman can work and run a family at the same time.

On the night of her fourth date with Luke she brought Lissy to her father. This was the first time Lissy would spent a night at her grandfather's place. Andy really wanted to trust her dad and she finally felt like she could. She gave Lissy a lot of kisses before she walked out of the door.

Luke had planned for them to go see a movie. Going to the cinema was something Andy hadn't done in a really long time and she was looking forward to it. When she got there Luke was already waiting for her.

''Hey beautiful, good to see you.'' Luke gave her a peck on the lips.

''Yeah, you too. You look great.'' Andy responded to his kiss and they stood together for a few seconds.

Luke walked Andy to their seats. During the movie he moved his arm so it was wrapped around her shoulder. Andy moved her head so it was lying on his shoulder. She felt content, save. She knew she had to tell him about Lissy soon, but for now this was just what she needed.

When the movie ended Luke wanted to take her out for a walk. Andy was debating if this was a good time to tell him about Lissy.

''Something wrong Andy, you look like you've got something on your mind.'' Luke looked at her with a worried glance.

''No, no everything is perfect.'' Andy smiled up to him and pressed her lips to him.

Luke responded and before they knew it they were lost in each other. Luke was the first one to break away. ''Do you want to come over to my place?'' he asked her.

Andy thought about it. She knew Lissy was save with her father for the night. She wanted to go home with him, but maybe it wasn't fair to him to sleep with him before telling her about her daughter.

When Luke started kissing her neck and jaw line she cleared her throat. ''Yeah, I would love to go to your place.''

Luke walked her back to his car and within ten minutes they were parked in front of a small, but lovely house.

''Wow Luke, this place looks amazing.'' Andy looked around and was impressed with the neighborhood, the yard and the house itself.

''Thanks, it's not really big but it is nice.'' Luke walked her inside. ''Do you want anything to drink? Some wine maybe or some water?''

''No'' Andy answered him while looking him in the eye.

Luke took the hint and pressed his lips to hers. Andy responded and could feel his tongue demanding access. She gave him access and started roaming her hands over his chest. Luke's hands found the hem of her shirt and he tugged it over her head. They walked towards the bedroom and for the first time in a long time Andy made love to someone.

The next morning Andy woke up with a gasp. She saw that Luke was still sound asleep. She looked at the alarm clock next to his head and found out it was six am. Luke probably had to get out of bed soon, but she really needed to go now. Quietly she slipped out of bed and put on her clothes. She called a cab to come and pick her up and wrote a small note for Luke.

-_Had a great night, but had to go. See you at work-_

When the cab arrived she have the driver her own address. She went home, showered quickly and made her way to her dad. If she was lucky she could be there for when Lissy woke up. The moments where Lissy was just awake were the favorite part of Andy's day. The baby would snuggle up to her mother and Andy could look at her daughter in amazement.

Andy let herself into her dads house and she was glad that the place was still quiet. Andy started breakfast, she didn't eat anything yet and was starving. Right after she ate herself and put something away for her father, she heard a cry coming from Lissy's room. Her father insisted that the baby would have a room of her own at his house. It wasn't much, but Andy was great full for the effort her father was making.

''Hey baby girl.'' Andy cooed to the girl. ''Mommy missed you so much last night, did you have fun with grandpa?'' The moment Lissy was in her mother's arms the crying stopped. Andy quickly changed her diaper and took her out to the kitchen. She fed the baby and quickly wrote her dad a letter thanking him.

When she was at home with Lissy she took a long hard look at her daughter. ''Lissy, can you tell mommy what to do? What does mommy do sweetie? She loves you, you know that right?'' Before she was a mother Andy always thought it was weird to talk to a child who obviously wouldn't say anything back. She started doing it when Lissy was two hours old so now she figures that's just a mom thing. ''Whatever happens sweetie, we'll be okay. Mommy will always take care of you and nothing will happen to you. I promise.'' The baby laughed at her and Andy sighed. She knew she had to tell Luke about her and she knew there was a possibility he wouldn't take it very well. But no matter what happened, she would be okay as long as Lissy was okay.

_AN/ So here's another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm not really sure where I am going with this, but I'll find that out while writing. If you have any brilliant suggestions leave a comment. _

_Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Here's chapter four. _

_The reviews so far have been great, but don't hesitate to be critic. _

_Like I already mentioned, this is my first story so I'm willing to learn._

_I still don't own it _

Two days later Andy and Sam were cruising around the city. It had been a very quiet day so far.

''So'' Sam cleared his voice for the question he wanted to ask. At least, he wanted to ask, but he didn't know if he would want to hear the answer. ''You still dating Callaghan?''

Andy looked over at her training officer. She didn't really know what to tell him. Since their last date she and Luke hadn't gone out anymore. They talked at the barn and he asked if she wanted to grab dinner sometime soon. She was still dreading the moment she needed to tell him about Lissy. She knew not a lot of guys wanted to date a girl who had a child with another man. ''It's hard, we're both really busy. But we're fine.''

''Good, that's good. Callaghan is a good guy. Being a detective is just a busy job.'' Inside Sam cursed himself. He really didn't want to take up for Callaghan. He still couldn't figure out what the deal was with his rookie. Obviously she was pretty, he knew that from the moment she walked through the door of the crappy apartment. But there was something else about her. She cared about people. He was worried that one day her commitment to people would blur her judgement. She always saw the best in people, weather they were victims or suspects.

Andy was watching the world outside the cruiser pass by when she heard her phone ring. She took the phone out of her pocket and answered it. ''McNally.''

Sam looked over her and immediately knew something was wrong. Her eyes went wide and she looked like she could start crying any second. Sam looked around the cruiser and quickly turned the cruiser so he could park it.

''How is that possible, this morning she was fine.'' Andy looked like she was in shock. ''Off course, I will be there as soon as possible. Call me if anything changes.''

''What's going on McNally?'' Sam looked his partner is the eye and put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to slow calm her.

''We.. we'' Andy started talking but she was close to hyperventilating. ''We need to go to Traci's house right now.''

Andy was grateful when Sam didn't bother asking her more questions before asking the address and started speeding towards Traci's house.

''McNally you need to calm down and tell me what's going on right now.''

Andy looked over at Sam and knew that she had to tell him right now. She didn't even care if he thought she was unfit to do her job anymore. Right now she needed to go see her daughter and make sure she is okay. ''I have a daughter, Traci was watching her today and she got sick. She was fine this morning. Traci said her temperature was really high and she wasn't responding really clear.''

Sam looked over at his partner and glanced at her. He already suspected McNally had more going on in her life than she led on, but he never thought of the option that she had a kid.

''McNally, kids get sick all the time. I know you are worried right now but we'll go see her and then you are going to take the rest of the day off.'' Sam put his hands on her shoulder again, she looked like she didn't even hear what he said. ''McNally look at me.'' Andy looked up at Sam, he wanted to wrap his arms around her for how vulnerable she looked at that moment. ''We'll be there in five minutes okay? Just stay calm. You can't help her if you're so upset.'' Sam saw Andy reaching for a tissue. ''How old is she, what's her name?''

''Ten months, her name is Lissy.''

''Okay McNally, we'll go see Lissy right now. Just try to keep yourself together. I know you're worried, I get that. Just keep on breathing. Like I said, kids get sick all the time and with babies it's really common that their temperature get's high.''

''I know.'' The moment Sam parked the car in front of Traci's place Andy ran out of the car. Sam followed slowly, not sure if she would want him there, but he had to know she was okay.

He walked into the Nash household and saw Andy sit on the couch with a baby in her arms. Traci immediately came up to him.

''I told her she shouldn't freak out, but I thought she had to know she was sick.'' Traci looked over at her friend and sighed. ''I get it, I used to get like that when Leo was sick. After a certain point you just learn to worry a little bit less about them.''

Sam was still looking at his partner. All of the sudden her behaviour made sense. The way she kept coming in late, her never showing up at the Penny. ''She going to be okay?'' he looked over at Traci.

''Yeah, Andy just has to make sure she drinks enough and she'll be fine. Babies get like this. One minute they are okay and the next minute they are sick. Usually they get better as quick as they became sick. '' Traci looked over at Sam and then Andy. She knew Andy probably needed to talk to Sam so she decided to give them a few minutes. ''I need to check on something on the kitchen, be right back.''

Sam slowly made his way over to the couch and sat down next to Andy. He looked at the baby in her arms. Lissy seemed really sleepy, but other than that she looked like a healthy baby to him. ''You okay there McNally?''

Andy looked up and all of the sudden seemed to remember she drug her training officer into a personal situation that turned out to be a little less urgent than she thought it was. ''Sir, I'm really sorry. I just freaked out, she hasn't really been sick ever and I was just worried.''

''It's okay McNally, she's your daughter it is your job to worry about her.'' Sam tried to give Andy a reassuring smile. ''Why did you never told me you had a kid?''

Andy looked back at Lissy, she felt really bad at the moment and didn't know the answer. Lately she found that she was lost for words more than ever. Something she never really seemed to have a problem with before. ''I don't know. I just don't want anyone to think I'm unfit to be a cop.'' Andy felt a tear running down her cheek and cursed at herself for being so weak in front of her superior officer. ''I'm really sorry sir, this won't happen again.''

''Andy, I'm serious. She's your daughter, you should worry about her. That's your privilege as her mother.'' Sam wiped her tears away with his thumb. ''Now, I'm going to call Boyko and let him know you'll take a personal day. I take it he knows about Lissy?''

Andy nodded and looked Sam in the eye. ''I asked him to keep it to himself, I just don't want to be judged by everyone because of this.''

Sam wanted to tell him that was nonsense but he also knew it was hard for mothers to be taken seriously in law enforcement. Hell, sometimes it was hard for woman in general to be taking serious in this line of work. ''I get it Andy. Just give me your duty belt and I'll take care of the rest.''

Andy stood up but didn't want to put Lissy down. Sam looked at her struggling and stood up too.

''Come on, give her to me.'' Andy hesitated and Sam noticed the hesitation. ''I've held babies before McNally, it's no big deal.''

Andy seemed to doubt one more second before she put Lissy in his arms. Lissy stirred for a moment, but when Sam started rocking her she went back to sleep. Sam took another good look at the baby and noticed that Lissy looked like her mom. She had her brown hair and the shape of her face was identical to Andy's.

When Andy had her belt off she took Lissy from him. ''You should be proud Andy, she's really beautiful.''

''I know, I am and once again thank you for understanding.''

''Your my partner McNally, I'll always have your back.'' Sam picked up the duty belt and wanted to walk away when he heard her call out.

''Sir, I'm sorry to ask this, but could you please keep this between us and Boyko?'' Sam looked at her without saying anything. He wanted to tell her there was no shame in having a baby and that she should just tell everyone what was going on. ''It's not that I'm ashamed, I just want to tell everyone on my own terms.''

''Okay McNally, whatever you need. Take care and I hope to see you tomorrow.''

''Thank you sir.''

Sam walked back to the cruiser and thought about everything that happened in the last twenty minute. He was glad he told dispatch they would be unreachable for a while, that gave them the time to deal with everything in silence. Sam put Andy's duty belt in the car and drove to the barn quickly. He told his fellow officers that Andy was out sick. Sam looked over at the D's office and saw Callaghan sitting there. He wondered if he knew about Andy's daughter. Sam ran his hand across his face and sighed. He knew he had to have a talk with his rookie when she got back to work. For now he would just concentrate on doing his paper work.

Lissy seemed to be feeling much better the next day. Andy was sort of ashamed for freaking out like that. She always swore that if she ever had children, she wouldn't become one of those overprotective mothers. But when Lissy was born that was out of the window. She couldn't imagine what she would do if anything ever happened to her. In a way Andy felt relieved that her secret was out. Well, at least out to one person. She was surprised with how well Sam handled the situation. He really kept her calm and was really understanding about everything. She hoped he would still feel that way when she got to work.

''So baby, you are not allowed to go to daycare today.'' Andy didn't want to bring Lissy to daycare five days a week, but she saw no harm in bringing her there two days a week. Before Lissy was born Andy looked at a few places and found one that was close to home and that made her feel good. However, the daycare handled a strict 24 hours rule when it came down to fevers. That meant Lissy wouldn't be able to go there today. Andy thought about taking another personal day, but she decided it was better to face her colleagues today. She called her father and he had no trouble taking Lissy for an extra day.

Normally Andy's father took care of Lissy for 2 days a week. Traci or Mrs. Nash would also have her one day and the other two days she was at the daycare. In the weeks Andy worked nights she would bring Lissy to the Nash house. Andy felt bad about not being there at night, but Mrs. Nash assured her there was no difference between watching one child or two. Plus there was the big benefit that Lissy was a very easy baby. As long as she was fed, changed and they let her sleep Lissy was a very happy baby.

Andy made Lissy ready for her day and also prepared herself. She dropped Lissy of at her dads and then headed to the barn. When she walked into the locker room she noticed she was one of the first ones there. Gail was already sitting in uniform on one of the benches. ''So, I heard you had to deal with a sick baby yesterday?''

Andy snapped up immediately. ''Who told you that?''

''Traci, we were supposed to have a girls night yesterday remember?''

Andy totally forgot her appointment with the girls. It was an old tradition that they would get together twice a month. Usually she just took Lissy with her. If they had girls night at Gail's place Andy would bring a camping crib. And whenever they would go to Traci's Lissy would sleep in Leo's old crib. ''God, I totally forgot.''

''That's okay, Lissy okay?''

''Yeah, it probably was just one of those baby viruses. She was fine this morning.''

''That's good, see you in parade.''

After parade Andy went towards the coffee machine to pick up two coffees for her and Sam. While she was making the coffee, she felt someone stand close behind her. When she turned around she saw Luke watching her with a smirk. ''I heard you were sick yesterday? You feeling any better?''

Andy was grateful that Sam kept his word by not telling anyone anything, not that she was surprised. ''Yeah, I'm fine. It was just one of those 24 hours things.'' Andy paused before starting her new sentence. She knew she had to tell Luke about Lissy soon, she probably should have told him their first date. ''Luke, I was wondering if we could talk after work?''

''Something wrong?'' Luke looked at her with a concerned look on his face.''

''No, everything is great, there is just something I need to tell you.'' Andy smiled up at him to assure him everything is okay.

''Yeah sure, how about you come and find me when you get off work?''

''Actually, I have to do something first.'' Andy wanted to pick up Lissy from daycare herself. Her moments with her daughter were sacred.

''Is it okay if I pass by your place around eight?''

''Sure, you want to have dinner then?''

''That sounds great Luke, thanks.''

Luke looked around the bar to see if anyone was watching. When he noticed they were alone he quickly pressed their lips together in a fast kiss. Andy blushed right away and took her two coffees before she walked away.

When she reached the cruiser Sam was already there waiting for her. ''McNally, you like to take your sweet time don't you?''

''I'm sorry Sir, just ran into someone.'' Sam's face immediately fell when he realized who she probably ran into.

''Okay, you and I are going out for breakfast together McNally.'' Sam started the car and moved out of the parking lot.

''I already ate.''

''Well, I haven't and we need to talk. So you can take a coffee.'' Andy was beginning to feel nervous. She knew he probably would bring up the day before, but '_we need to talk' _sounded more serious then she was comfortable with.

When they arrived at the diner they ate more often Andy quickly sat down. ''Sir, once again I want to apologize for yesterday. I know I shouldn't let my personal life interfere with my job. It won't happen again.''

Sam smirked at her and didn't say anything? After a few seconds of silence he spoke up again. ''You can promise that McNally?''

''Yes sir?'' she asked with doubt in her voice.

''So if your daughter ever gets sick again, or something else happens and she needs you, you are going to put your job first?'' Sam looked at her and Andy never felt more uncomfortable in her life. She stared away trying to come up with a response to that.

''Sir, well, I mean, like...'' Andy tried to form a full sentence but she had some trouble doing so.

''Relax McNally, nobody expects you to put your job first when you obviously got something more important in your life. You shouldn't make excuses about that.'' Sam nodded at Andy and looked at her to make sure she got his point.

''I know Sir, I'm really sorry.''

''And stop apologizing.''

''Yes sir, sorry. I mean..''

''McNally...'' Sam said in a warning tone.

''Right, I'll totally shut up right now.

''That will be a once in a lifetime experience won't it?'' Sam smirked at her so she knew he was joking.

''What? I'm silent like all the time.'' Andy knew people thought she talked to much. But she honestly thought she kept the unnecessary chit chatter to a minimum in front of Sam.

''Last week you talked over a halve hour about a pen.''

''I do not talk too much!'' Andy raised her voice and discovered Sam was teasing her when she saw a smile appear on his lips. ''Okay, whatever. See if I'll ever make small talk with you again.''

''I'm pretty sure you will McNally. I don't worry about that for a second.'' Sam's expression became serious again. ''But seriously McNally, you okay?''

''Yes, I'm fine. I just freaked out yesterday. I know it wasn't exactly professional but when it comes down to Lissy all my rational thoughts seem to go out of the window.''

''I think that's called being a mother. Just let me know if you need anything. I get where you were coming from but I really think it's better if your honest to people. Some people might judge, but let them think whatever they want.'' Sam sincerely hoped he could talk some sense into her. He could imagine it wasn't easy to avoid the truth all those weeks.

''Yeah, I know. Thanks again for taking everything so well.''

''That's okay McNally. You want to talk about anything?'' Sam had a few questions himself but he wasn't sure if she was willing to answer his questions.

''There isn't much to say. You know her name, how old she is..'' Andy took a breath, she never knew what she could tell people without sounding like some dumb girl who didn't know there was birth control in the world. ''She wasn't exactly planned and the father didn't want her. So it's just the two of us, but we are doing fine. She goes to daycare two days a week, Trace and or her mom take her two days a week and my dad has her one day a week.''

''Well that sounds like you've got everything under control. You can make the nightshifts work too?'' Sam was sincerely concerned about his rookie. He didn't want to overwhelm her, she did just start out on this job and that can be a lot even without the responsibility of a child.

''Yeah, Traci and her mom have been absolutely great. They kept Leo's crib so she can sleep there. Traci's mom loves kids and says it's no trouble. I'm just really glad she's a good sleeper, makes me feel a bit less bad.''

Sam noticed the smile forming on Andy's face when she talked about her daughter. ''Well, sounds to me like you've got everything on control. But I'm serious, whenever things aren't in control just come to me.''

''Thank you sir, really.'' Andy was incredibly grateful with how this conversation was going. She already thought Sam would be supportive of her. He showed her during the last weeks that he was a great teacher, but also a great person to fall back on. Never in all those weeks has she felt like he was lecturing her. He always sounded like someone who genuinely cared for her progress.

''So, maybe I'm out of place by asking this, but does Callaghan know about this?''

Andy expected that question. She felt really bad about not telling Luke about Lissy. She felt like she was hiding her daughter and that was the last thing she wanted to do. ''No, he doesn't. I actually planned on telling him tonight.''

''Just make sure you tell him, I would want to know.'' Sam gave her one last smile before attacking his breakfast that the waitress just brought him.

Andy thought to herself '_If Luke is only halve as supportive as Sam is, we'll be fine.''_

_AN/So that's the next chapter. _

_Next chapter she is going to tell Luke about Lissy._

_Once again, please leave a review and don't hesitate to be critical!_


	5. Chapter 5

_And chapter 5._

_I really don't know how many chapters this story will be.  
It will depend on the reviews and how much they motivate me I think. _

_Thanks to the people who reviewed. _

_To _once. : I read your review and appreciate your comments on my English. I didn't change anything because I believe I have to delete it before being able to do that. I do however learn from your comment so thanks.

_About the daycare/dad mistake... really no excuse for that. Just sloppy work on my part, sorry!_

_Still own nothing (is that really necessary to put down every time?)_

Andy and Sam had a busy shift. So by the time she was back in the barn she was already running a little bit late. She decided to shower at home so she could pick up Lissy first. She changed fast and made her way to the parking lot. Lissy went to sleep around seven thirty, so that meant she had to bring Lissy to bed and then go over to Luke's place. Gail would stay at Andy's in case Lissy woke up. Andy knew that was a rare thing, so if Lissy was asleep she knew she could leave without any nerves. And even if Lissy would wake up, Gail watched her so many times that Andy knew she would be fine.

When Andy picked up Lissy she drove the two of them home and started making diner. She fed Lissy and ate a little herself just to shut up her stomach. After that she put Lissy in her crib with some toys. The biggest downside on being a single parent were the very short showers. Andy always enjoyed standing in the shower and letting the day wash away. But ever since Lissy was born she either had to shower when Lissy was asleep or put Lissy in her crib with the risk of her crying during Andy's entire shower.

Andy was lucky this time, Lissy didn't even stir in her crib and just moved her toys around a little bit. Thanks to a lot of practice Andy was able to take a full shower within five minutes, so she was out of there in no time.

Andy took her daughter out of the crib and took her into the living room. She put her daughter on the floor and sat down herself too. She played with her daughter and sang a few songs to her. When it was time for bed Andy made sure Lissy had a clean diaper and warm pyjamas on. Andy always read a story before bed, she knew Lissy didn't understand any of the stories now, but thought it was a nice tradition. It also gave her the opportunity to spent some quality time alone with her daughter.

When Andy closed the door of the very small nursery she heard a small knock on her door.

Opening the door she found Gail standing there. Gail brought over her new boyfriend Nick. Andy knew the two of them used to date a few years back, but this time Gail seemed really serious about him.

''I hope it's okay I brought Nick.'' Gail walked into the apartment and put away her coat. ''I figured we could watch a movie or something.''

''Yeah sure, hey Nick.'' Andy greeted the young man and grabbed her own coat. ''Just make sure you two behave'' she said with a smirk on her face. ''If anything is up you can call my cell. She went to sleep immediately when I put her down, so with some luck she'll stay asleep.''

''We'll be fine Andy, good luck tonight. Stay out as long as you want too.'' Gail and Nick were walking to the couch and sat down when Andy left the apartment.

When Andy arrived at Luke's place she found that the place was dark as the night. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She took out her phone and called his cell.

''Callaghan.'' He answered his phone.

''Luke, it's Andy. I thought we agreed I would stop by around eight? I'm at your place, but you don't seemed to be here.'' Andy looked around and saw Luke's neighbor looking at her. Andy waved at the woman to signal that everything was fine. The last thing she needed was the cops showing up because someone called in a suspicious person hanging around.

''God, it's eight already? I'm so sorry Andy, I just got swamped up in this case. I'm gonna leave right now okay? Be there in halve an hour.''

''Okay, please hurry'' Andy sat down on Luke's porch. She looked around and felt the nerves building in her stomach. This was already hard enough as it is, now she had even more time to over think it.

By the time Luke arrived Andy was ready to bolt and forget anything ever happened between them, but she knew she had to do this.

Luke walked up to her with an apologizing look on his face. ''Andy, I'm so sorry. I lost track of time.''

''It's fine Luke, did you brought diner?'' Andy looked at him and noticed his hands were empty.

''God Andy, this is just not my day. I forgot we were supposed to have dinner together. I already ate something at the station, I'll order you something okay?'' Luke opened his door and Andy followed him inside.

''No, it's okay really I actually already ate something too. Not really that hungry anyway.''

''You sure?'' Luke asked her while taking her coat.

''Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks.'' Andy smiled up at Luke and he looked her in the eye. He took her face in his hand and put her hair behind her ear.

''You're really special you know that?'' Luke looked at her with a loving look.

''Yeah, my lack of a good eating pattern is amazing.'' Andy replied with a laugh.

''No, but you are'' Luke told her when you moved his face down so he could kiss her.  
While the kiss deepened Andy remembered why she was there and she started backing away.

''Something wrong?'' Luke asked her.

''No, nothing is wrong, but I do really need to talk to you about something.'' Andy tried to move passed Luke to get to the couch. ''Can we sit down please.''

Luke didn't show any signs of nerves when he sat down with her. ''Okay, what's wrong Andy?''

''Okay, I know I probably should have told you this before. I just really didn't really know how to say it. It's not like I'm ashamed for it or something, but I just want to be careful you know? But now I feel like maybe I waited too long to tell you and that makes me nervous.'' Andy started rambling and she wasn't making any sense to Luke.

''Andy, just tell me what is going on'' Luke told her with his voice calm as ever.

''Okay, I have a daughter.'' Andy looked at Luke's face for a change of emotion but there was none. She waited until he spoke, but he just kept looking at her. ''She is ten months old, her name is Lissy. I know I should have told you but I didn't want anyone at work knowing about this. People already have a lack of fate in female cops, let alone a single mom cop.''

Luke looked at her and rubbed his hands across his face. ''I really wish you would have told me this before Andy.''

''I know, I'm really sorry. But can you try and understand my motives here?'' Andy looked at him pleading. She hoped he wouldn't tell her to go away.

''Off course I can understand why you wouldn't announce it in parade when you're just starting out. But we went on a couple of dates, you had enough of opportunity to tell me.'' Luke stood up now and walked to the window. He looked out of the window with his hands in his pockets.

''I know I should have told you. But when I put it off the first time it just kept getting harder and harder to tell you.'' Andy stood up to and walked towards Luke. When she put her arm on his shoulder he turned around.

''What do you want me to do Andy? Do you want me to be a father figure to her? Because I don't think I can do that right now.'' Luke's voice was firm, but Andy heard a sign of emotion in there.

''I know, I don't expect you to be a father figure. I just want to see where this'' she gestures between the two of them ''is going and maybe then you can meet her and be like an uncle or something, I don't know. This is all new for me too.''

Luke put one arm on Andy's waist. And gave her a small kiss on her cheek. ''I really like you Andy, I do. But I do need some time to think about all of this.''

''I understand'' Andy replied. ''Shall I just go home and maybe you can call me when you know what to do?''

''Yeah, I think that's best'' Luke replied while still holding on to her waist. They both stood there for a minute just staring at each other. Luke kissed her again, but didn't let the kiss get out of control. ''I'll call you Andy, I promise.''

''Okay, I'll wait for that then.'' Andy moved away, grabbed her coat and walked towards the door.

When she was outside she took a deep breath. She didn't know if she should be happy about this or not. Luke didn't run away screaming, so that was a good thing. He also didn't seemed overjoyed, but who would be. Andy loved Lissy more than anything but she knew kids complicated things.

When Andy arrived home she found Nick and Gail on her coach watching one of her dvd's.

''So you're home early'' Gail said .

''Yeah, he had to think some things over'' Andy gave her friend a small smile and shrugged her shoulders.

''You okay?'' Gail asked while giving Andy a small hug.

''Yeah I'm fine, you two had fun?''

''Yeah, we just watched some tv'' Gail replied while she was grabbing their coats.

''That is one silent baby you got there Andy. If I ever have kids I hope they end up as well behaved as yours.'' Nick gave Andy a smile.

''Well, you should see her when she's hungry and I'm not running fast enough to make her something'' Andy said with a smile forming on her face.

''I'll just take your word for it,'' Nick said to her.

After Andy showed Nick and Gail out she walked into Lissy's room and she bowed over her daughters crib. Very lightly she traced her thumb across her daughters face. Andy smiled down at her daughter.

''Whatever happens sweetie, we'll be okay. I promise you.'' Andy walked out of her daughters room and went into her own to get ready for bed.

The week went by. Andy only saw Luke at work from time to time, but she didn't had the chance to talk to him. Luke always seemed to be too busy or on the way to a crime scene.

On day eight Andy walked into the barn and saw Luke standing in his office. She looked his way and their eyes met when he looked in her direction. She gave him a shy wave which he returned.

Andy really wished she would have been honest with Luke from the start, that would have saved her a lot of trouble. She was just about to turn to the locker room when she heard Luke calling her name.

''Andy, wait up,'' he called out to her.

''Hey, Luke. I was hoping I got to talk to today.'' Andy smiled at Luke. A smile he seemed to return without being sincere.

''Yeah, about that. I was thinking, maybe we should talk about what happened. And your... situation.'' Luke was looking around to see if anybody noticed the two of them talking.

''My situation?'' Andy asked shocked. She didn't expect him to be overjoyed when she told him about Lissy, but referring to her daughter as a 'situation' was unacceptable. ''Luke, I get it. You didn't sign up for any of this. But if you're referring to my daughter, that's how you can call her. Not a situation.'' Andy's tone grew harsher than Luke was used to.

''Andy, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it like that. Can we just forget about this and meet later for dinner?'' Luke looked Andy straight in the eye and Andy all of the sudden became irritated with his looks. He was good looking, off course. He also knew he was good looking and he seemed to use those looks to get away with everything.

''I can't tonight Luke, this is my last free night before night shifts start and I want to spend it with Lissy.'' Andy knew she was probably pushing it right now, but no man was worth spending less time with her daughter.

''Can't Nash watch her for you?'' Luke was typing a text message on his phone while talking to Andy. All of the sudden Andy really had enough.

''That is my daughter you're talking about okay? MY daughter. If I want her to be with me, she'll be with me. If you can't deal with that you might as well tell me now, because than we definitely can't make this work.''

''Andy, you have to understand the kind of situation you're putting me in right now.'' Luke looked up from his phone, but Andy didn't feel like he was completely focusing on her.

''I do understand, honestly I do. And like I told you last week, I should have told you from the start. Only I didn't and I can't change that now.'' Andy looked around and saw that parade room was already packed. ''I really have to go now, I'm late for parade.''

Andy walked away from Luke and felt tears threatening to fall. She always knew her dating life would become much more complicated after she had Lissy. She felt guilty that she felt this way. Because she could swear on her life that she wouldn't change anything. This was just not how she imagined her life. She always imagined falling in love, getting engaged and getting married. And then after a year or two maybe start thinking about a family. One or two years later they would start thinking about a new addition to the family. And then they all would grow old together and live happily ever after. Andy knew marriage could be extremely complicated, could hurt as hell and could end badly. Yet she was a romantic that thought that if you worked on it, you could actually make marriage work.

Now that a child was already in the picture, she thought that maybe it was time to let go of her childhood dreams.

While musing over her complicated life Andy walked towards parade. She was happy when she discovered that she wasn't even late yet. Andy sat down next to the other rookies and while they were discussing Dov's latest date (it was a disaster), Boyko walked in. Boyko started giving out assignments. Andy was on desk with Chris. Dov was paired up with Oliver, Traci with Noëlle and Gail was with Swarek for a change.

Andy smiled at Chris. She hated desk duty, but Chris was good company. She knew he probably would be willing to do some more paper work than her so she could leave early to pick up Lissy.

While Andy was walking out of the parade room she heard Gail whistle behind her.

''Andy, how does Swarek take his coffee?'' Gail was probably already thinking of ways to suck up to her T.O. for a day.

''Black and don't suck up to him, he hates that,'' Andy looked at Gail and noticed Gail's eyes wonder to Sam.

''Tell me Andy, how do you get any work done when you're stuck in a cruiser with him all day long?'' Gail looked at Sam like she could eat him up and Andy found herself annoyed by that. She told herself it was because Gail was with Nick. And she liked Nick, she didn't talk to him much but he seemed like a good guy.

''I don't know what you are talking about,'' Andy tried to sound as casual as she could.

''If you don't know what I mean, you should have your eyes checked out.'' Gail looked over at Sam one more time. He was talking to Oliver while he was leaning against the door frame. He had his arms draped around his chest. ''That guy is hot.''

''Well, I haven't noticed,'' Andy replied. ''And by the way, weren't you supposed to have a boyfriend?''

''I do, but that I can't touch doesn't mean I can't look.'' Gail started backing away when she turned back to Andy with a smirk. ''Don't worry Andy, he's all yours.''

Before Andy could response Gail was gone. Andy looked around to see if anyone noticed her flushed state. She saw that she was one of the only ones left in parade room, so she quickly walked towards the desk.

''You okay Andy?'' Chris asked her while looking concerned.

''Yeah, I'm fine. Is it hot in here?'' Andy talked really fast and she saw Chris looking at her with a strange expression on his face.

''No, it really isn't. You sure you're okay?''

''Yeah, I'll be fine.'' Andy sat down on her chair and forced her thoughts away from her training officer and on her paper work.

_A/N. I know most of you want me to get rid of Luke right away. That is not the plan though. But don't worry he won't be around for too long. _

_Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6!_

_I know I'm updating a lot, but I'm sick so I've got a lot of free time on my hands.  
Hope I'll be feeling better the coming week, but that will mean updates will become less frequent.  
I will however finish this story because I always hate it when I get into a story and then it never get's updated anymore. _

_Still don't own anything or anyone!_

Two weeks went by fairly quickly. Andy enjoyed her time with Lissy, but also enjoyed her work. She felt herself becoming a better cop every single day. She looked up to Sam and the way he mentored her. She noticed she enjoyed their days more and more, but she also realized that she was walking on dangerous grounds. Not only did her last dating attempt prove that she really shouldn't get involved with anyone right now, Sam was her training officer: forbidden fruit. She hadn't really heard from Luke anymore. Traci was assigned to the D's for the last couple of days and she told her that Luke was rounding up a big case. Andy told herself she didn't care anymore. Dating was not a priority right now. She needed to focus on her life with Lissy and her job, that were the important things.

Andy just finished her shift and today she would join her friends to the Penny. She knew she had been neglecting her friends a little, so her dad insisted he took Lissy for the night. He told Andy he needed some bonding time with his granddaughter. Andy really didn't like leaving her daughter with other people, but she really did need some Andy-time. Every now and then she felt like she was avoiding responsibility whenever other people babysat for her. But she realized that she needed the help, it simply was impossible to combine everything in her life and do it all alone.

When the rookies walked into the Penny, the guys went to the bar to order drinks while the girls went looking for a table. They found one quickly and sat down.

''So Andy,'' Chris said while handing her a beer. ''Feels like I haven't seen you outside of work in ages, you doing okay?''

''Yeah, I'm sorry I can't make it here more often.'' Andy looked around and was really happy she could have a night like this. She felt totally relaxed.

''No, I totally understand. Must be hard to do it all by yourself.'' Chris gave Andy a quick hug.

''God, can I get a vomit bucket?'' Gail asked while she was looking annoyed. ''We came out here to have fun, not to share our feelings.''

''Okay Gail, what do you suggest we do?'' Andy asked her with a smile on her face. At first she always was annoyed by Gail's attitude, but time told her it was all an act. On the inside Gail was a good person and a really good friend to Andy.

''I suggest we drink and after that we drink some more,'' Gail downed her beer in a few gulps and looked over at her friends. ''You're all one behind.''

Andy was really enjoying her evening and noticed all the T.O's were also in the Penny. She only had two drinks, after that she switched to soda.

When Sam entered she gave him a small wave, which he returned with a smile and a nod.

She was standing at the bar waiting to order, when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around and stared into a pair of blue eyes.

''Luke, what are you doing here?'' Andy looked at him in shock. She really didn't expect him here.

''Celebrating, we were just able to connect some dots and close a major case. Didn't expect to run into you here. Really glad I did though.'' Luke put his right hand on her shoulder while giving her a smile. Andy could feel Sam's gaze on her from across the bar and felt uncomfortable.

''I heard about your case. Congratulations, sounds like you did a great job.'' Andy tried to give Luke a sincere smile.

''Well, it wasn't just me. But I have to admit, feels pretty good to have all those long hours paid off.'' Luke looked Andy straight in the eye and looked at her with a serious face. ''I really want to talk to you Andy, about everything that happened.''

Andy turned her gaze away from him for a moment and then looked back at him. ''I don't really know if there's anything to say Luke. You know about my daughter and that's not going to change.''

''I know, I thought about everything you told me and I really want to talk. You want to get out of here?'' Luke kept his eyes on hers as if he was trying to stare her down.

''I thought you were here to celebrate?'' Andy didn't know if she wanted to go with Luke. On one hand she was interested in what he had to say, but she didn't know if she could handle another disappointment. She knew that spending time with Luke was probably a good idea to get her mind off of Swarek. Luke reminded her of everything she once wanted out of life, a good and stable man with a good job. Sam reminded her of everything she feared in life, an exciting and caring man who probably wouldn't settle down if his life depended on it.

''I was, but they can probably miss me and I don't want to let this opportunity to spend time with you go to waste.''

Andy thought about it for a moment and decided she really didn't have anything to lose. Luke was a great guy. Handsome, sweet and stable. And stable was what she needed. So she decided to just go for it. ''Okay, let me just say goodbye to my friends. Meet you outside in five?''

Luke nodded at her before he left her alone to say goodbye to the rookies. Andy made it over to their table and announced she was leaving.

''Already tired you out McNally?'' Dov asked her.

''No, just got a better offer Epstein,'' Andy shot back at him before grapping her purse.

Andy explained to Traci why she was leaving and told the other rookies she had to leave. She went to the door and found Luke waiting for her by her car.

''I thought maybe we could take your car and go to my place to talk?'' He asked her calm.

''What about your car? Don't you need it tomorrow?''

''No, I got a ride here and I can take a cab to the station tomorrow. Unless you're not good to drive?''

''No, I only had two beers I promise. I'm good to drive.'' Andy looked at Luke for a moment and didn't say anything. ''Let's go then I guess.''

They both got in the car and Andy drove them back to Luke's place. When she had parked the car they both got out and walked to his front door. Luke ushered her inside and took her coat.

''You want anything to drink?'' Luke asked her while he undid his tie and opened the first few buttons of his collar.

''Actually a water would be good.'' Andy replied.

Luke went into the kitchen and came back with a water bottle for her and a glass with whiskey for him.

''So you wanted to talk..'' Andy started nervously.

''Yes I did.'' Luke walked over to her and put his hand on her waist. He looked at her face and bent down to kiss her.

Andy kissed him back for two seconds before pushing him away lightly. ''Talk Luke, talk.''

''Right'' he told her. ''I really don't know where to start Andy.''

''Just start at the beginning. What did you think about?'' Andy walked away from Luke and sat down on his couch.

Luke followed her and took place at a chair. ''I thought about us. I really like you Andy, but when you told me about your daughter I kind of freaked out. I don't really have a place for a child in my life right now. I also don't know if I can handle that kind of responsibility right now.''

Andy played with her water bottle to occupy her hands while he talked. She tried to avoid looking at his eyes because she would know that would make her even more nervous. ''I get that Luke, I already told you that I did. It's okay, I should have told you sooner.''

''Yeah, probably. But then again I do really like you. So I was thinking, maybe we could just take things slow. We could see where this goes and then maybe if things go good I could meet Lissy sometime.'' Luke stood up and moved to sit next to her on the couch. He put one of his hands on her thigh and gave her a squeeze.

''You sure that's what you want?'' Andy asked him. She wanted to 100% sure she was making the right decision. It wasn't just her heart on the line, she also had a daughter to think about.

''Yes Andy, I know we've only been on a few dates but I really enjoyed your company. I know you have to think about your daughter but we should try to figure out what this thing between us is,'' Luke pleaded with her.

They both looked at each other for a while. They talked about how things would go, they both decided it was best to keep their dating to them self as much as they could. And they also thought it would be better if they kept Lissy out of everything for now. Andy didn't want to throw a man into her life if she didn't know where things were headed and Luke agreed.

''So Andy, you willing to give us a try?'' Luke asked her?

Andy looked up to him and tried to come up with an answer. She liked Luke, but she didn't know if he was right for her. On the other hand, he was really trying. She was fine with taking things slow, the last thing she wanted was to throw a guy in Lissy's life only to have him walk out again when she got used to it. ''If you're sure you're okay with everything,'' Andy told him.

''I am, you're special Andy. We have to at least try to see where this goes.'' Luke removed his hand from her thigh and used it to cup her face. For the second time that night he bent his head to kiss her.

Andy kissed him back and she could feel something flutter within her. She told herself she was falling for Luke. He was the good guy, he could offer her a life she needed. The kiss grew more intense and before Andy knew it Luke was lying on top of her with his shirt unbuttoned. Luke reached for the hem of her shirt and got it off of her. While they were kissing and exploring each other Luke removed his mouth from hers. ''Maybe it's more comfortable if we move this to the bedroom.''

Andy smiled up at him and gave him a quick kiss. ''Maybe you should take me there than.''

The next morning Andy woke and noticed she wasn't in her own bedroom. She also didn't wake up to crying or gibbering, so something was definitely off. She opened her eyes and remember last night. She looked to the other side of the bed where Luke was lying. She put her hand on his chest and felt how smooth he was. He looked perfect, something that strangely annoyed her. She quickly shook those thoughts away as she gave Luke a kiss. Luke woke from the action and wrapped his hands around her waist to pull her on top of him.

''Good morning gorgeous.'' He told her.

''It is a good morning.'' Andy replied with a smile on her face. She gave Luke one more kiss before rolling off of him. Andy stepped out of bed and looked around to find her clothes.

''What are you doing?'' Luke asked her while he pushed himself up.

''I have to go, my dad had Lissy for the night but this is my day off. So I'm going to pick her up and spent the rest of the day with her.'' Andy was looking around. ''Mind if I use your shower real quick?''

''Come on Andy, stay a little longer. If you leave the afternoon you can still spent time with her.'' Luke pleaded with her and tried to pull her back into bed.

''Nice try buddy. Now can I use your shower?'' Andy asked again.

Luke sighed and laid back down. ''Of course you can use my shower Andy, you don't have to ask.''

Andy went into the shower and used it as quickly as she could. When she felt clean and fresh she stepped out, took a towel and dried off. She walked back into Luke's bedroom and noticed he was gone. She put on her clothes and made her way downstairs.

''You didn't want to stay in bed anymore?'' she asked him while walking into the kitchen.

''No, I wanted to stay in bed. My partner ditched me though.'' He told her.

Andy wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. ''Sorry I have to go, but I am really happy we talked last night. I had a good time.''

Luke looked at her, sighed and cupped her face. ''Me too.'' He kissed her one last time before she left.

Andy drove over to her father's place and used her key to get inside. When she walked in she could see Lissy sitting in her high chair at the table. When Lissy saw her mother the baby started smiling and clapping. Andy walked over to Lissy and lifted her from her chair.

''Yeah, there's my beautiful girl. You had fun with grandpa sweetie?'' Andy kissed her daughters head and gave her a big hug.

''We did have fun.'' Tommy replied while he gave his daughter a kiss on her temple. ''All though I feel ashamed to admit I'm getting older. It was pretty difficult to get out of bed at six am when this girl decided she had enough sleep.''

''Sorry dad, I know you're sleeping patterns aren't really in sync with Lissy's.''

''It's okay sweetheart. I offered and I'm glad I did. You look relaxed and you deserve to have fun. Plus it's really good to spent some one on one with this pretty girl.'' Tommy started tickling Lissy softly and the baby started laughing.

Andy surprised her dad by giving him a hug with Lissy sandwiched in between them. ''Didn't know what I would do without you dad.'' She told her father.

''Right back at you kiddo.'' Tommy replied.

The next shift back at work Andy was partnered with Sam again. Sam saw Andy and Luke leaving together two nights before and he was not happy about it. He knew he had no claim over her what so ever, but that didn't mean he had to like her dating Callaghan.

''So, by the looks of it Callaghan took your news pretty good.'' Sam asked her while he was trying to look not interested.

''Yeah, well. We'll see where things go. We're taking things slow, gotta be careful right?'' Andy tried to keep things casual. She really didn't want to talk about Luke with Sam.

''As long as your happy McNally.'' Sam said and he actually meant that. He knew that Andy and him couldn't be anything. He knew the rules and he knew this rule actually was there for a good reason. He needed to be objective about her and he needed to keep his head in the game.

When the radio startled they both looked alive. Dispatched called in a disturbance call from a neighbor complaining about screaming in the house next door. Sam and Andy were in the neighborhood so decided to take the call. When they arrived at the scene they first went to the neighbor who made the call. She informed them that the couple had a screaming match for at least two hours. She could hear their baby cry and knew that the husband had been abusive of his wife in the past. His wife never pressed charges but the neighbor decided that enough was enough. Sam thanked her and told her they would take care of it.

When they were walking towards the house Sam instructed Andy. ''You go talk to the wife, I'll take the husband. Just try and figure out if he laid his hands on her. If that's not the case then all we can do is warn them and leave. If you have any suspicion of abuse, use your mouth. It's your best weapon, try to get her to talk and press charges.

Andy and Sam stood in front of the door when Sam knocked a few times. The door was opened by a guy who was in his early thirties. He was wearing a suit, but it looked like the suit was from yesterday and he spent the night in a bar. Andy could hear a baby cry in the house. Her mother instincts told her this wasn't a hungry or dirty diaper cry. This was an upset cry.

''Mr Andrews?'' Sam asked the guy.

''Yeah? Anything wrong officer?'' The guy tried to sound casual but Andy noticed him tensing up.

''We got a noise complaint from one of your neighbors and we just wanted to make sure that everything is okay.'' Sam tried to look around the guy to catch a glimpse of the wife.

''Everything is okay officer, we had a fight that happens to the best of us right?''

''Yeah, of course. Can my partner talk to your wife for a moment? Make sure everything is okay?'' Andy was once again impressed by Sam's technique. He talked with authority, yet stayed levelled with the people he talked to.

''I don't think that is necessary officer. I'm sure you have better things to do then to solve marital issues.'' The guy looked back into the house and Andy could swear she saw him make a curse.

''Sir, it would really help if you would just co-operate with us right now.'' Sam said more firmly.

Andy couldn't take the crying anymore and spoke up. ''Your baby okay there sir? Sounds like he or she is upset.''

''She's fine, it's a cry baby. Annoys the shit out of me most hours of the day.'' Mr. Andrews replied.

Andy felt anger building inside of her. How someone could talk about their own child like that was beyond her. Of course there were moments where she didn't know what to do with Lissy. Moments she wouldn't stop crying, nights she wouldn't go to sleep. But to say your own child annoys the shit out of you.. that was something Andy couldn't imagine.

''Sir I really would like to talk to your wife so I suggest you let me inside now.'' Andy said. Sam looked at her but didn't say anything. Mr. Andrews let her walk inside and Sam followed her while keeping an eye on the husband.

''Mrs. Andrews?'' Andy called out. She walked towards the room where the crying sounds came from. When she walked in she almost dropped to the floor. She saw a baby who seemed to be only a little older then Lissy. But where Lissy looked happy, well fed and clean 99% of the time, this baby looked like nobody cared for her. Andy picked up the baby and cradled it in her arms. She held the baby to her chest while she was making her way through the house. She found Mrs. Andrews the kitchen. Mrs. Andrews turned out to be more of a girl than a woman. Andy thought she couldn't be older than 21.

''Mrs. Andrews. I'm officer McNally, we got a complaint about yelling. Are you okay?'' Andy looked at the girl and noticed a big bruise starting to form on her cheek.

''Ye –ah,'' the girl tried to say, but the sobbing stopped her from forming a good word. ''I... I'm fine.''

''What were your husband and you fighting about?'' Andy could only imagine how well Mr. Andrews was co-operating while Sam interviewed him. Andy kept rocking the baby who was starting to calm down. Andy resented herself for it, but she almost couldn't handle the smell coming from the baby. This was more than just a diaper that was changed too late.

The girl on the kitchen floor couldn't stop crying. So Andy levelled with her. She knew she had to play bad cop for a moment. ''Mrs. Andrews, you've got a bruise forming on your cheek. Can you tell me who did that to you?''

''We.. I...'' the girl hesitated for a moment ''I fell.''

''You sure?'' Andy asked her.

''Yeah. I'm clumsy.''

_Clumsy my ass_ Andy thought to herself. Andy knew clumsy people. Hell, from time to time she was clumsy herself. But that didn't get you bruises on your face. Andy looked at the baby in her arms. It wasn't her job to give parenting advise, she knew that. She also knew she couldn't leave this place without giving some advice.

''Mrs. Andrews. If your husband did this to you, I highly recommend you press charges. An abusing environment is very bad for a child to grow up in. You don't want that for your child do you?''

All of the sudden Mrs. Andrews snapped. ''I WANT MY CHILD TO STOP CRYING OR STOP EXISTING'' she yelled.

Andy looked at the girl in shock. She knew they had to do something. ''I'm going to have a talk with my partner really quick.'' Andy said and she walked away. She knew she was probably breaking some rule, but she took the baby with her. When Sam saw her arrive he drew up his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

''Everything okay McNally?'' Sam asked her

''Yes sir, can we have a talk?'' Andy looked at Sam and by the look on her face Sam knew it was serious.

''Of course.'' Sam turned around to Mr. Andrews. ''Sir, I'm going to talk to my partner. I suggest you stay in this room while we talk.'' Sam put a hand on the small of Andy's back and let her out, leaving the door open so they could still look inside.

''McNally, I'm aware that woman like babies, but we can't go and take them.'' Sam tried to joke.

''Sam, look at this baby.''

''She could use a bath.'' Sam stated, his years on the force told him this situation was probably not healthy for a child to begin with. Let alone being neglected by the people who are suppose to love you the most.

''A little dirty? God, the baby stinks, doesn't look like it's well fed and it probably has been crying for hours.'' Andy felt her temper rising.

''What did the mother say?'' Sam asked her, trying to see if they could get the guy for anything.

''She they just had a fight. She has bruises on her face, but claims she fell.'' Andy pauses for a moment. ''She also mentioned she wished her baby didn't exist. Sam I know we can't do anything about the domestic if she doesn't admit he did it, but we at least have to call child's service to get her out of here.''

''Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna make some calls okay?''

Sam left Andy alone with the baby and Andy immediately wished that she could hug her own daughter right now. Her perfect chubby baby who she would walk to the end of the earth for. She knew she would remember this day for a long time.

At the end of Andy's shift she quickly changed, not bothering to shower. Sam and she had a long day, it took them quite some time to make all the right phone calls. Andy could only hope the baby would be okay, but it was out of her hands now. She hated that about being a cop. You couldn't always help the people who needed you. And sometimes you could help, but you never heard from the case or person again. Andy cared about people, she would like to stay in contact with everybody to find out how they were doing later. She also knew that was impossible with this job, that didn't mean she had to like it.

Andy knew she had to hurry to pick up Lissy. She rushed to the parking lot, opened her car and jumped in. When she tried to start her car nothing happened. She tried again, but again nothing happened. She knew her car was a piece of junk, but it was the best she could do. Between the daycare, rent, gas, insurance and groceries she had enough trouble making everything work financially as it was. Andy could only imagine what it would cost to get everything fixed. Not only that, she would be late to pick up Lissy if she would have to wait for a cab. The day seemed to catch up with her and while she rested her head on the steering wheel, she dropped a few tears.

She startled when she heard a small knock on her window. She wiped her eyes and looked up to see Sam standing there. She opened the door and by the look on his face she knew he could tell she had been crying.

''You okay McNally?'' He asked her concerned.

''Yeah, it's just my stupid car won't start and now I'll be late picking up Lissy.'' Andy could feel she was getting back to the verge of tears. ''God, I call child service for other people and I can't even afford to keep my own car up and running so I can pick up my child at a decent time.''

''McNally.'' Sam warned her. He lifted her chin and made sure she looked him in the eye before starting talking again. ''You are nothing like those parents okay? You're doing everything you can to make sure your baby is happy and safe. Your car broke down, that's not your fault. Just don't compare yourself to people like that, because from what I can tell you're doing an amazing job raising your child.''

''Yeah well, what do you know about it?'' Andy asked him.

''I know you hardly ever go out with your friends because you want to be with Lissy. I know that when Lissy was sick you pushed everything aside to be with her. And I know that you're crying right now because you are tired and you just want to go home and hold your daughter. So if you ask me you're a damn fine mother Andy.''

Andy wiped away the tears that fell during Sam's little speech. ''Thank you, I think I needed that.'' She told him softly. ''Sorry about this. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to call a cab. It probably won't get me there before the daycare closes but they know about everything so they'll probably be understanding.

Before Andy was finished talking Sam opened her back door and started working on the baby seat. ''Sam, what are you doing?'' she asked him confused.

''I'm getting Lissy's seat in my truck, we'll pick her up together and I'll drive you two home.'' Andy was impressed with how easy he lifted the car seat out of the car. Andy always thought the seat was nearly impossible to install, but clearly Sam had more luck.

''I really can't ask you to do that Sam'' Andy told him. ''It's really nice to offer, but you probably have much better things to do.''

''You're not asking, I'm offering,'' Sam told her. ''And like I told you over and over again Andy, I got your back.''

Andy thought about her options and knew she probably was best of accepting Sam's help. ''You sure it's no problem?'' She asked him one last time.

''Just get in my truck McNally.'' Sam answered.

They drove over to the daycare while Andy gave Sam instructions about how to get there. Andy was grateful for Sam's help and wondered about his personal life, they never really talked about that.

''So you got any kids?'' she asked him.

''Don't you think you would know that by now McNally?'' He asked back.

''Yeah probably, I just thought you would make a good dad, that's all.'' She told him casually.

Sam felt his chest tighten. He never really gave kids much thought, he knew he probably would want kids one day if he would ever run into someone worth having them with.

''Maybe if I'll ever meet the right person I'll see if I'll live up to that expectation McNally.'' He tried to kill the subject.

''I'm pretty sure you will.'' She told him with a smile. ''But you were awesome with that car seat. I hate that thing, it never goes the way I want it to go.''

''I actually have a niece and nephew, so I got to practice with baby's car seats quite a lot.'' Sam told her. He didn't really know why he was talking about this. At the station the only people who knew about his family were Oliver, Jerry and Frank. And now Andy..

''You have siblings?'' Andy enjoyed talking to Sam, she felt him open up to her.

''Yeah, my sister Sarah.'' He replied not giving her any more information.

''She younger or older than you are?'' Andy was sincerely interested in his life.

''Four years older.'' Sam said.

''I always wanted an older sister.'' Andy told him. ''Or maybe an older brother. Just someone to look up to and to help me with things you know.''

Sam did know, he knew about her mom leaving her. She mentioned it during one of her first weeks when she forgot to load her gun and ended up trying to calm the situation by talking to the guy with the gun. ''We're here'' he told her as he parked the truck. ''Just go get her, I'll wait right here.''

''Thanks,'' Andy said while she was practically running out of the car.

Ten minutes later Sam saw her walking to the truck with Lissy in her arms. She was clearly talking to the baby. Lissy looked so comfortable in Andy's arms. When Andy was almost at the truck Sam got out of the car to open the back door. Andy was obviously struggling to handle the diaper bag and Lissy at the same time. Sam wanted to take the bag, but Andy turned around. ''Can you take her for a moment?'' she asked him.

Sam hesitated for a moment, but he didn't know why. It wasn't like he never held a baby before. He even held this particular baby. ''Sure'' he said. He took Lissy from Andy and Andy put the diaper bag in the front of the car. Sam started putting Lissy in the car seat and couldn't help but laugh when Lissy grabbed his nose and made a funny sound. ''You're a real charmer hah?'' He asked Lissy while stroking her cheek. When Lissy was all buckled in Sam walked to his door and moved behind the steering wheel. He saw Andy standing in at the pavement on the phone. He was glad she trusted him with Lissy, that clearly wasn't something she would trust just anyone with. When Andy finished her phone call she moved to the passenger side of the car and moved in.

''Sorry, that was my dad had to take it.'' Andy told him.

''That's okay Andy, I got her into the car. Hope that's okay with you?'' Sam asked her.

''Yeah of course it is. You're sure all the straps are fastened?''

''Of course they are McNally, wouldn't want her to be in any kind of danger.'' Sam replied a little bit annoyed.

''No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just..'' Andy waited for a moment ''never mind.''

''What is it McNally?'' Sam asked her.

''You'll think it's stupid.'' Andy told him while she fastened her own seat belt.''

''Hit me anyway.'' Sam told her.

''It's just, this is a really big truck.'' Andy said while looking at Lissy. Sam glanced at her clearly not getting her point. ''Like I said, big truck... makes Lissy look like really small and fragile.'' Andy said.

''Do you mothers ever stop worrying?'' Sam asked Andy with a smile. He understood where she was coming from. He probably would be an overprotective dad if he would ever had kids.

''Nope, it just comes naturally.''

Sam drove them home and helped Andy get Lissy out of the car. He took her car seat in his hands and when Andy opened the door Sam walked inside with the car seat in his arms. Lissy, who was still in the car seat clearly was enjoying everything. She was laughing at Sam and Sam couldn't help but smile back. When he placed the car at Andy's counter he unfastened the straps of the car seat and lifted Lissy out. When Andy walked into the room he handed Lissy to her. ''So, back to your mother's arms. That's the best place for a child right?'' he asked.

''It's supposed to be yeah.'' Andy told him while she was taking Lissy's coat of. Andy followed Lissy's face with her finger and kissed her face just to smell and feel her.

''Andy, we did everything we could today. Now you should eat something, enjoy the rest of your evening and don't worry about it anymore.'' Sam said to her.

''Does this ever get easier?'' Andy asked Sam

''What do you mean?'' Sam asked back.

''Just, today... we know that her husband hit her, but we can't do anything about it. We know they have been neglecting their child, but we can't bring them in immediately.'' Andy sat down on a bar stool and put Lissy in her lap.

''Andy, it's our job. Doesn't mean it's easy, doesn't mean it's right all the time. But the rules are there for a reason. They aren't just there to protect the people of Toronto, they are also there to protect us. I know this case got close to you because their child was Lissy's age. We all have cases we feel more emotionally involved with, but you can't let that lead your work.''

Andy nodded at him. ''It's just hard sometimes.''

''I know it is, but I've been with you from the start. I can already see you growing and learning. You're going to be great Andy.'' Sam smiled at her and gave her a nod.

''How can you be so sure?'' Andy asked him.

''We'll I'm your training officer and I am awesome, which of course means you are awesome.''

Andy started laughing and Sam joined her.

''You going to be okay McNally?'' Sam asked.

''I am, thank you.'' Andy told him.

_So, longest chapter so far!_

_Judging on the previous reviews, you'll all be happy to hear I plan to get rid of Luke the next chapter or the one after that. _

_Please review._


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7._

_I don't own rookie blue or any of the characters._

The next day Andy woke up to crying sounds. She glanced at her alarm clock and noticed it was only 5:30. Andy groaned and dragged herself out of bed. She stumbled to Lissy's small nursery and opened the door. The moment Lissy saw her mother she stopped crying, put her hand in her mouth and started laughing.

''You enjoy waking up mommy don't you?'' Andy asked the girl when she took Lissy out of her crib.

''Mmmmmffffffffpppppp,'' Lissy replied.

''Mommy needs her sleep sweetie.'' Andy walked back towards her own bedroom with Lissy in her arms. She never really let Lissy sleep with her for an entire night, a baby belonged in her crib. But for early mornings like this, Andy made an exception. Andy put a few pillows on the side of the bed so Lissy couldn't fall off the bed. When Andy first had Lissy, she always was scared to share a bed with her. She was afraid she would kick her baby out of the bed or roll on top of her in her sleep. By now Andy knew her instincts always protected her from situations like that. If Lissy was in her bed Andy always stayed very still.

Andy lied down with Lissy on her chest. Lissy snuggled up to her mother. Andy put a pacifier in Lissy's mouth, she kept finding pacifiers all over the apartment, something she was grateful for on moments like this.

When Andy woke up again it was because of knocking on her front door. Andy still had Lissy lying on her chest, the baby was fast asleep too. Andy tried to get up with Lissy, the baby stirred a little but didn't wake up. Andy walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole. She was surprised to see Sam standing there.

She looked at the mirror across the hall and tried to smooth her hair a little before opening the door.

''Sam, what are you doing here?''Andy asked him.

Lissy started to open her eyes and snuggled up closer to her mother. Sam looked at the child and was amazed by the scene before him. Andy wasn't wearing any make up and was still in a short and tank top. Lissy was wearing a pyjama and looked extremely comfortable being in her mother's arms. Lissy glanced up at Sam and put her head in her mother's neck.

''Since when did she turn shy?'' Sam asked Andy looking at Lissy.

''She just woke up, give her a minute,'' Andy replied. ''But that doesn't really answer the question why you are here.''

Sam held out her car keys to her and Andy looked at them with confusion written all over her face. ''Where did you get my car keys?'' Andy asked Sam.

''I took them with me yesterday,'' Sam told her.

''Why would you do that?'' Andy asked him still not understanding what he was doing there.

''I took a look at it last night. I'm a city boy McNally, I know how to fix a car blindfolded and chained. Your car really wasn't that hard to fix. Plus a buddy of mine owed me a favor so he helped we out with a few things.'' Sam placed her keys on a table next to the door. ''It's okay to drive again. I thought you probably needed your car to get Lissy to daycare and yourself to work.''

Andy didn't know what to say. She was thankful that Sam helped her out, but she didn't really have a lot of money to pay for car parts and the hours he put in there. ''Sam, it's really nice of you. I just wished you would have asked me before you did it.''

Sam looked at her with confusion, he really just meant to help her out. ''It's no big deal Andy.''

''It's just..'' Andy started ''I'm a little tight right now and I can't really afford to pay hundreds of dollars on my car,'' she admitted feeling slightly ashamed. She really didn't want to come off as weak or poor. She was doing fine, had everything she needed. She just couldn't afford to do anything crazy.

''Andy relax, like I told you a buddy of mine owed me a favor. He works at a garage so I got the parts for free. He didn't charge anything,'' Sam told Any.

''But all the hours you put in there,'' Andy started.

''Andy, seriously don't worry about it. I wanted to help you and I like working on cars okay?''

Sam shrugged his shoulders and brushed it off.

''Thank you Sam, really thank you.'' Andy took a step forward and put one arm around Sam giving him a hug. She hold Lissy with her other arm. Lissy put her hand on Sam's arm, it looked like Lissy was giving Sam a hug too.

Andy and Sam started laughing. ''It looks like she really likes you,'' Andy told Sam. ''Are you sure there is nothing I can do for you?''

''Well, I did get out of bed early so I haven't eaten anything yet. If you have any food lying around?"

''Men..,'' Andy started. ''It's always about food is it? But come inside and make yourself comfortable''

''Yup,'' Sam said while he was walking inside her apartment. ''But if you think I'm bad, I'm nothing compared to Shaw.''

''Yeah, Dov told me halve his paycheck goes to his ''let's feed my training officer to suck up'' jar.

Sam laughed and sat down on the couch in the small living room.

''I'm just going to get Lissy ready real quick and put on some clothes myself okay? You can turn on the TV if you want to.''

''Take your time McNally,'' Sam said. Andy disappeared into the nursery and Sam took a look around. He didn't get a good look at the place the last time he was here. The place really wasn't big, but it was homey. Toys were lying around and on the wall there were a few pictures. Sam stood up and walked over to the wall. He saw pictures of Andy with Traci, pictures of someone he assumed was Nash' kid and Lissy and pictures of the other rookies with either Andy or Lissy. His attention was drawn to one picture in particular. It was a picture of Andy and Lissy, they were both looking in the camera and Andy had a huge smile on her face, Lissy was laughing in the picture. Sam thought again about how much Lissy looked like Andy. She was like an exact copy of her mother.

He moved his gaze to another picture, also one of Lissy and Andy. Lissy was really small there so it was probably taken when Lissy was just born. Andy was lying down on a couch on the picture. Lissy was lying on her belly on Andy's chest. Andy's arms were draped around Lissy while she was looking down on her daughter. Sam recognized the look on Andy's face. It was the same look Sarah had when she had just given birth to Jason and later Laura.

Andy walked back out with Lissy. ''So one down one more to go,'' she said hinting at the ready baby in her arms. Andy was still in her pj's. ''I'm just going to put her down here on the ground while I get ready. Don't worry, she can keep herself entertained pretty well.''

''Sure McNally, I'll keep an eye on her.'' Sam said to her.

Andy put down Lissy and put some toys around her to keep her busy. Lissy immediately grabbed a toy and started pushing a few big buttons. Andy walked into her own bedroom.

Sam walked towards Lissy and sat down next to her. Lissy looked up at him with her big brown eyes. Sam smiled at the child and took one of her stuffed animals. He teased Lissy's face with the stuffed animal and Lissy started giggling.

''I can see why your mom is so fond of you,'' Sam said softly to Lissy. Lissy just looked at him and crawled over to one of her other toys. Sam stayed on the floor watching her. Five minutes later Andy walked back out.

''Are you okay with pancakes?'' Andy asked Sam.

''Yeah, sure McNally.'' Sam replied while he was getting on his feet again.

''I do have to feed Lissy first before she starts fussing.'' Andy walked over towards Lissy, picked her up and walked into the kitchen area. Andy put Lissy in her high chair and put a kiss on her head.

''Hey, what if I start fussing?'' Sam asked with a smirk.

''Well, you can either start breakfast or feed Lissy if you don't want to wait. But believe me when I say you do not want to see her unhappy.'' Andy smiled at him.

''You're not getting out of feeding me McNally. Just tell me whatever she needs and I'll feed her.'' Sam told her.

''Oh, okay,'' Andy did not see that one coming.

''Unless you're not comfortable with me feeding her?'' Sam asked cautiously.

''No, of course not Sam. She already proved that she is comfortable around you so it's fine with me.'' Andy put a few items on the counter and pointed at them. ''She usually just takes a slice of bread cut into little pieces and a cup of milk.''

Sam and Andy went to work together, he was making Lissy's breakfast and feeding her while Andy made the pancakes. Sam and Andy made small talk while eating and before they knew it the dishes were done and it was time to leave.

''Thanks again Sam, I really owe you one,'' Andy once again told him.

''Don't worry about it. You probably need to get on the road to get Lissy to daycare and I want to get to the station early so I'll see you there okay?''

Andy walked Sam towards the door and they said their goodbyes. When she closed the door Andy went to pack a few things for Lissy before heading out to work again.

Sam walked into the locker room and saw Oliver already sitting there. Oliver was already in uniform and busy putting on his boots.

''Hey brother, you're early.'' Sam said while he was opening his locker.

''Yeah, I wanted to check on a few things,'' Oliver told him. ''Didn't see you at the penny last night.''

''No, I had to help someone out,'' Sam didn't really want to tell Oliver about fixing McNally's car. Oliver would probably make something out of it while it really was nothing.

''So you had a busy night? What did you do?'' Sometimes Oliver was like a teenage girl. He always wanted to know what his friend was up too.

''Like I said, I had to help out a friend.'' Sam tried again.

''Would that friend be female by any chance?'' Oliver teased his friend. Oliver really thought Sam should date more. The last girl he saw him with was Monica and Oliver never was under the impression that that was really serious. Oliver knew everybody saw Sam as the bachelor type, but Oliver knew better than that. Beneath the rough appearance Sam was a great guy who would make a great family man.

''Just one of the rookies Oliver, needed some help and I had time to give her a hand.'' Sam really didn't like that Oliver got this out of him.

''Oh, let me guess McNally?'' Oliver knew his friend and saw the glances he threw at McNally from time to time.

''Her car broke down, I had some free time so I fixed it. She is my responsibility and she needs to be able to get to work on time.''

''I'm pretty sure it isn't our responsibility to make sure the rookies get to work on time brother,'' Oliver stood up and made his way out of the locker room. ''Just be careful.''

''What do you mean by that?'' Sam asked raising his voice a little.

Oliver knew his friend had a temper, but he also knew Sam well enough to know that he didn't mean anything with it. ''I'm just saying Sam, you know the rules.''

Sam looked at Oliver with a confused look. Of course he knew where Oliver was hinting at, but he wanted to brush it off.

''Training officers and rookies Sam, they aren't supposed to..'' Oliver tried again.

''I know that Oliver, nothing is going on.'' Sam finished the last buttons of his shirt and moved to walk outside with Oliver. He stopped in front of Oliver and lowered his voice. ''You know she has a kid?'' he asked Oliver.

''I heard something about that yeah, so that's true?'' Oliver asked Sam.

''Yeah, and she is doing it all by herself. She had a rough shift yesterday and her car broke down after that. I thought she could use a hand so I gave it to her. That's all there is to it.'' Sam grabbed his friend by the shoulder. ''Now let's get our asses to parade before we have to sit with the rookies.''

Andy changed quickly after shift and when she checked her watch she realized she actually had some time before she had to pick up Lissy. She decided to go see Luke for just a moment. She walked up to his office and knocked.

''Come in,'' she heard his voice say.

Andy opened the door and closed it behind her. ''Hey, just wanted to come in and say hi before I left,'' she told him.

''Hey you,'' he told her. He stood up from his desk and looked out of the window to see if anyone was looking. When he saw the coast was clear he gave her a kiss. ''How was your day?''

''It was fine, nothing big,'' she told him. ''You busy today?''

''You know how it gets, there are always murders to solve,'' Luke walked back towards his desk. ''Come sit with me for a moment, we could talk.''

Andy moved towards his desk and sat down to a chair opposite from his.

''I was thinking, maybe we could go to diner this Saturday?'' Luke asked her.

Andy thought about it, she had Saturday of, but she wasn't sure she would be able to find a baby sitter for Lissy. ''I would love to Luke, but I do have to find a baby sitter for Lissy.''

''Just get one of the rookies to baby sit her or bring her to your dads for the night. We should go out and have fun.''

Andy was annoyed with how easily he tried to brush the subject off. ''I don't just want to dump her somewhere Luke. If she spends the night somewhere it's either with me, Traci or since recently my dad. I want her to sleep somewhere familiar, baby's need stability.''

Luke was already picking up a file and was reading it. ''I know Andy, just try and figure something out okay? I've got to work now so I'll call you.''

Andy sighed and got up from the chair. She walked over to Luke's chair and he looked up to her with a confused face. When he realized she wanted a kiss goodbye he gave her a small peck on the lips before throwing himself back at the files on his desk.

Andy left with a sigh.

A couple of weeks went by and Andy was already halfway through her time as a rookie. She was getting more confident by the day and she finally felt like everything was falling into place. Everything except for one thing.

_-flashback-_

_Andy and Luke had gone out on a couple of dates. Sometimes he would drop her off at home so Lissy didn't have to sleep somewhere else. Andy noticed that Luke always was a little bit annoyed when that would happen. On other nights she would arrange for Lissy to sleep somewhere else so she could spent the entire night with Luke. Some nights they went to his place and sometimes to hers. One night when they were lying in her bed together Luke took the picture that was standing on her night stand. It was a picture of Lissy sleeping. _

''_So this is her?'' he asked her while he put the picture back._

''_Yeah, that is Lissy.'' Her voice softened at the mention of her daughter's name._

''_Maybe I should meet her sometime soon.'' Luke said while he was rolling over so they were both on their sides facing each other. Luke started kissing her neck and Andy rolled over on her back pulling him with her._

''_Mmm'' she said. ''You're up to that?'' _

''_I think it would be good for us.'' Luke told her. After that they didn't say much more. _

_The next week Andy decided it probably would be good for them to meet so she invited Luke over for lunch at her place. Luke would arrive around 1 pm. Lissy woke up from her morning nap around 11 and Andy sighed when she realized this was not a good day for Lissy. She had been teething for a while now, but today she was particularly fussy. Around 12 Andy decided she should make sure Lissy was fed before Luke came. So she made Lissy lunch and fed it to her. Lissy wasn't really hungry and turned her head away from the food after just two bites. Andy tried again and again, but Lissy wouldn't eat. _

''_Fine, have it your way.'' Andy muttered. She decided that if the baby didn't want to eat, she wouldn't struggle for hours to get the food into her. She would eat again when she was hungry. _

_Andy put Lissy down on the floor to let her play with some toys. Andy sat down next to her and Lissy's mood seemed to improve after some quality time with her mother. When it was 13:30 Andy picked up her cell and tried to call Luke, but he didn't answer. She send him a text._

_-Where are you? Thought you'd be here by 13:00?-_

_-Got called to a crime scene, be there ASAP.-_

_Andy put her phone away and lied down on the couch. She really wanted to make this thing work between her and Luke, but it was hard. He was busy working a lot of the time and she was busy with Lissy all the time. Their schedules really didn't match well. She liked Luke, but she didn't love him. She was pretty sure he didn't love her either. Then again it only had been two months, do you love someone after two months? She did care for him so she decided that the love would come eventually.  
All that mattered right now was that Luke was a good guy, he wouldn't hurt her. Or maybe he would, she didn't know. Andy felt more confused than since she was pregnant with Lissy. She picked up her baby and gave her a firm hug. ''Maybe you should just tell mommy what to do, okay can you do that baby girl?'' Lissy gave Andy her first laughs of that day and Andy sighed, if only it was that easy. _

_Around 3 pm Andy looked at the clock again. Normally Lissy would be in bed right now for her nap, but Andy decided to keep her awake for just a little longer in case Luke came by. When there was a knock on the door Andy picked up Lissy and walked towards the door. _

''_Here we go sweetie, I know you're tired but let's behave okay?'' Andy walked towards the door and opened it. Luke was standing there in his suit. _

''_Hi,'' he started. ''Sorry I'm late, couldn't get out of this one.''_

''_Come in Luke,'' Andy said to him. Andy put Lissy on her hip and the girl put her face on her mother's arm hiding away from Luke. ''This is Lissy,'' Andy said as she stroked her daughters cheek._

''_Hi Lis, nice to meet you,'' Luke said as he tried to stroke Lissy's back. _

_Lissy wiggled in her mother's embrace trying to get closer to Andy. Andy never saw Lissy react so shy towards anybody. Normally Lissy would welcome everybody in with a smile. ''I'm sorry, normally she already sleeps by now,'' Andy started ''She must be getting cranky.''_

''_It's okay Andy, don't worry about it,'' Luke said. But when Andy took a good look at him she noticed he looked tensed. _

_At that moment Andy could hear her phone ring in her bedroom. ''I'm gonna get that real quick. Just make yourself comfortable.'' Andy put Lissy in her playpen in the living room and quickly walked towards her bedroom. The moment Lissy saw her mother disappear into the bedroom she started crying. Luke looked uncomfortable towards the baby and walked over to the playpen. _

''_Okay, it's okay, mommy will be back in a moment,'' he tried shushing the baby. _

_Lissy didn't stop crying and Andy came walking back immediately when she heard her daughter so upset. She was still on the phone so Luke tried to calm Lissy down by taking her out of the playpen. Obviously that was the wrong thing to do because Lissy just started crying harder and tried to wiggle out of Luke's arms. Andy quickly ended her phone call and took the baby from Luke. Andy never saw her daughter this upset, she was actually screaming. _

''_Luke, I don't know what's going on with her.'' Andy rocked Lissy forward and backwards but she didn't exactly calm down. _

_Luke looked panicked and didn't know what to do. ''What's that thing they always say when baby's cry? You should check if she is hungry, needs a change or has cramps or something.''_

_Andy rolled her eyes a little and sat down while putting Lissy on her chest. She started stroking Lissy's back with one hand and her face with the other. ''Could you maybe get her dog for me?'' Andy asked Luke. ''It's in her crib.''_

_Luke walked into the nursery fast and came back with a stuffed dog. He looked over at Andy who finally managed to calm Lissy down. Lissy was still whimpering, but at least the screaming stopped. _

''_I'm just going to lay her down,'' Andy said looking slightly upset. ''She was probably just really tired and she's teething.''_

''_Yeah sure,'' Luke said. ''I'll wait here.''_

_Andy walked into the nursery and put Lissy down in her crib. The baby was still shaking a little bit so Andy stayed in her room stroking her fact and rubbing her tummy until she was fast asleep.  
When she walked back out Luke was on her couch with the TV on. _

''_She's asleep,'' Andy told him while she moved to sit next to him._

''_Okay, that's great,'' Luke said. ''She sure knows how to make a first impression,'' Luke chuckled a little bit._

_Andy just nodded a little bit and moved away from Luke when he started kissing her neck. ''Luke, Lissy could wake up again, we can't.'' _

_Luke sighed a little and moved back to lie back on the couch. Andy walked away to the kitchen and rubbed a hand over her face. She was annoyed with Luke and the way he was acting._

_While she was standing at the counter Luke walked towards her and put an arm around her. ''Sorry Andy, maybe we should go away together for a weekend or something. Just the two of us, it should do us some good.''_

_Andy looked up to him and knew that this wasn't going to work. ''Luke, I'm not going to go anywhere without Lissy.''_

''_Andy, come on, she's been to your dads or Nash' more often. I'm sure she can manage without you for three days'' Luke raised his voice a little. _

''_I can't leave the city without her Luke.''_

''_So you suggest we take her with us? Well that should be fun.'' Luke stated._

''_Excuse me?'' Andy nearly screamed forgetting about Lissy in the other room. _

''_You know what I mean Andy.'' Luke said calmly. _

''_Get out.'' Andy said._

''_Andy, come on. Just be realistic. We can't go away for a weekend with a baby, you saw how she acted 15 minutes ago. I'll go crazy if I will have to put up with that for a weekend.'' _

''_She is a baby Luke, they cry from time to time.'' Andy raised her voice too._

''_Well, there is crying and there is hysterical creaming. What she was doing was hysterical screaming.'' _

_Andy lost her self control with that and gave him a push towards the door. ''Get the hell out Luke. She's my daughter do you even understand what that means? That means she relies on me for everything. And I want to give her everything. And there is not a man, not a person on this earth for who I will ever put her in a second place. So you get the hell out right now or so help me god.'' _

''_Andy, you don't want to do this,'' Luke tried one more time._

''_I'm serious Luke, nobody talks about my daughter like that. We'll be civil at work but I don't want anything to do with you anymore.'' _

''_If I walk out of that door Andy, then I'm not coming back.'' Luke told her in a warning voice. _

''_Good,'' Andy said more calm than she was feeling. _

_Luke walked away and closed the door with a bang. Andy couldn't stop the tears from falling. She wasn't even upset that Luke left, but the way he talked about her daughter got to her. Andy walked towards her daughters crib and slowly lifted her, careful not to wake her up. She knew Lissy would probably be more comfortable in her crib, but she needed to feel her daughter. ''Well I did tell you to tell me what to do..'' Andy whispered to Lissy. _

''_Nobody is ever going to come between us sweetie,'' Andy told her daughter while whipping away her angry tears. ''Never, I'm never going to let anybody hurt you.''_

_-End Flashback-_

The next day Andy was driving shot gun while Sam was behind the wheel of the cruiser. Traci had the day off so she had Lissy. Sam noticed something was wrong with Andy, she wasn't talking and she looked like she hadn't slept a lot.

''You okay McNally?'' he asked her.

''Yup, I'm fine,'' she replied weakly.

''Lissy doing okay?'' Sam asked to make sure there wasn't something wrong with the most important person in Andy's life.

''Yeah,'' a small smile appeared on Andy's face as she thought about her daughter. ''Lissy is great, perfect.''

''That's good,'' Sam told her. He looked over at his rookie one more time and noticed the worrying lines on her face. ''Andy,''

Andy immediately looked up, it was very rare that Sam used her first name. He usually went with McNally.

''You know you can tell me if anything is bothering you right?'' Sam finished his sentence.

''I know, thank you.'' Andy told him. ''Thank you for everything you've done for me.''

''It's kind of my job McNally.'' Sam said trying not to take credit.

''Part of it yes, but not everything you did for me was part of your job.'' Andy sighed and shifted in her chair trying to get comfortable. ''I just don't think I would have made it so far if you hadn't trained me.'' She told him honestly.

Sam felt a little bit uneasy with the sudden compliments. ''Really McNally, for the most part it's my job and for the other part well.. I am just glad I can help you out.''

Andy nodded absently. She thought back to Luke and what a huge mistake being with him had been. She really thought he would be the good guy. The guy who would love her, take care of her and would accept her daughter. Turned out she was wrong. Andy didn't know if she would ever trust someone enough to let them in totally in her daughter's life. This recent experience told her she had to be more careful with men. Her dating life had been a total disaster all her life. In high school she always went for the bad boy just to piss her dad off. She never clicked with anybody after that. Sure there were dates, sometimes even multiple dates. But nobody made her feel save or loved. With Mark it was more like being friends with benefits, and they weren't even friends. Andy decided to just focus on her daughter. As long as Lissy was happy and save, so was Andy.

_A/N After reading the reviews I think you'll be glad to see Luke gone.  
Please review again!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I hope you'll all enjoy the rest too.  
This chapter isn't really long, so don't expect too much. _

_Chapter 8!_

Lissy's birthday was only one day away. Andy didn't want to make a big deal out of it, Lissy wouldn't remember it anyway. That didn't mean the day would go by like any other. Andy took the day off and she would take Lissy and her father to the zoo. After that the two of them would go home, relax and enjoy some alone time. But first she had to work through her shift.

Once again she was cruising the streets with Sam. Of course Sam was driving, he only let Andy drive when he was too hung over to see straight.

When they parked the car near a diner to get lunch Sam cleared his throat before speaking up.

''So McNally, ready for the big day tomorrow?'' he asked Andy.

''Yes, we're just going to have an easy day. First we'll go to the zoo and after that it's just going to be the two of us.'' Andy smiled at the thought.

''That sounds nice, before I forget it, I got her a little something.'' Sam quickly passed her a present he was hiding next to the seat.

Andy looked at the present and took it from him. She looked confused, but was genuinely moved that he would do something like that. ''Sam, you really shouldn't have done that.''

Sam shrugged his shoulders and looked at her. ''I happened to be at the mall when I thought of her birthday. Seemed rude not to give her anything.''

Andy started laughing. ''Yeah, she probably would be extremely offended.''

''We can't have that Andy, I don't like looking bad.'' Sam mentioned to the wrapping paper. ''You gonna open it up?''

''You sure, we can't have Lissy being all offended that I'm opening her gifts right?'' Andy teased him.

''I'm sure she'll live McNally.''

Andy smiled at him one more time and started pulling off the wrapping paper. By the size and form of the package she already guessed it was a book. When she opened it she saw the book '_On the night that you were born' _by Nancy Tillman. Andy looked up at Sam in amazement. She didn't expect this out of him. Most people get children toys or flashy things, but a book was personal. He actually put thought in this present.

''Sam... I don't know what to say, thank you. I really like it for her.'' Andy tried to swallow down the lump in her throat.

''Your welcome McNally, I remember my sister loved this book for her kids.'' Sam actually had read the book to Laura a couple of times.

''Thanks so much Sam, I really appreciate it.'' Andy moved in her chair to give Sam a hug. She put her face on his shoulder and mumbled another thank you to him.

Sam tried hard to control himself. He cleared his throat and motioned to the diner.

''We should probably...'' he started.

''Yeah, yeah, of course, right.'' Andy hurriedly spoke.

They both got out of the car and moved towards the diner. They sat down and put down their order.

''You see your family a lot?'' Andy asked him.

''No, not a lot, but whenever we see each other it's always good.'' Sam took a sip from his coffee and looked around the diner.

''Does Sarah live in Toronto too?'' Andy was curious to know more about Sam. He always was so mysterious.

''No, she lives in St. Catherines.'' Sam took another sip of his coffee and looked at Andy. ''Callaghan couldn't make it to Lissy's birthday?'' Sam tried to sound casual, but there was an undertone.

''Even if he could make it he probably would be to scared of her to come.'' Andy replied harshly.

Sam looked at her with a confused face and Andy looked him straight in the eye when she realized what she just said.

''Sorry, that was inappropriate.'' Andy tried to apologize. ''We just.. ah.'' Andy shifted in her chair and took a nervous bite of the cookie she got with her coffee. ''We aren't really together anymore.''

''You okay?'' Sam asked her.

Andy thought about how Sam would always ask her how she was. He didn't seem to care about gossip, didn't judge people without knowing the entire story. It was part of what made him such a great cop. It also was part of what made him such a good human being.

''Yeah, I'm good.'' Andy said with a small smile.

''You know I'm here if there's anything you want to talk about right?''

''I know Sam, but I'm fine really. He didn't exactly get along with Lissy, so that meant the relationship was over.'' Andy shrugged her shoulders.

''She threw up on one of his fancy suits or something?'' Sam asked with a wink.

''No, but I would have paid good money to see that.'' Andy started laughing. ''He picked her up like once and she started crying and screaming.'' Andy actually found the memory funny. Luke looked extremely hopeless with Lissy in his arms. ''After that Luke pretty much decided we should dump her for a weekend because she would drive him crazy.

Sam's eyes widened for a moment before looking at Andy. He noticed she didn't seem to bothered by it anymore so he decided it would be better to not make a big deal of it. ''Well, sounds to me like you are better off without him McNally.''

''That's exactly what I thought.'' Andy replied.

The waitress came back with their food and they ate it while they were making small talk. Sam paid for the two of them before making their way back to the cruiser.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast, there were a lot of calls so by the time Andy was done changing she was beat. When she walked out of the locker room she walked in to Sam.

''McNally, have a good day tomorrow,'' Sam said to her.

''Thanks Sam, and also thanks again for the gift. It was really sweet of you to get her something.'' Andy raised her eyebrow when she said the word _sweet_, she knew he wanted to come off as the bad ass cop.

''Just don't spread the word McNally.'' Sam smirked before walking away from her.

Andy followed him with her eyes, she smiled while she was staring at his back. She didn't even realize she was staring before she felt someone bump into her.

''So,'' Gail started. ''You finally decided you would like a piece of that?'' Gail nodded her head in Sam's direction.

Andy quickly started walking towards the parking lot. ''What? No! Of course not! I was just... staring at the coffee machine. Like, nobody ever cleans that thing. I think it's dirty.'' Andy was talking really fast and she felt a colour rise on her cheeks.

''Yeah, I'm actually convinced that you were thinking of dirty things.'' Gail started laughing out loud before walking into the opposite direction of Andy.

The next day Andy woke up to Lissy's gibbering. When Andy walked into Lissy's nursery she found her daughter on her back with her feet in the air. Andy smiled and picked up her daughter.

''Happy birthday sweetie,'' she cooed at her daughter. She placed a few kisses on Lissy's face. Lissy started laughing and put her hands on Andy's face. ''Mommy loves you like crazy girl.''

Andy changed Lissy and fed the girl. She put Lissy in her playpen and got changed. When she got a bag ready for Lissy she put her in the car seat and drove up to her father's place.  
They went to the zoo together, Lissy had the time of her life and that meant Andy had the time of her life too. Tommy looked at his two girls with pride.

When his daughter told him she was pregnant almost two years ago, he never would have imagined everything turning out so well. Of course there were still hard days, being a single parent was a lot of responsibility. But he was proud of how Andy handled everything. She always took full responsibility for her daughter's care. He was happy she was done with Luke Callaghan, Tommy worked with him when he was a rookie and he never particularly liked him. He was a good cop, but too ambitious.

For Tommy being a cop meant helping people, getting justice for the ones that couldn't get it for themselves. For Luke being a cop was about glory and honour.

Andy walked back to her father with Lissy in her stroller. It was already 13:00 and Lissy's eyes fluttered close every now and then. Andy and her father decided to get a drink somewhere and eat something so Lissy could rest for a while.

When they sat down somewhere Lissy was already asleep. Andy looked at her and stroked her cheek.

''God, I can't believe it has been a year.'' The year went by extremely fast, but Andy couldn't even remember what her life was like before Lissy was born.

''I know, you know I'm proud of you right sweetheart?'' Tommy looked at Andy, grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

''You probably didn't imagine getting grandchildren like this..'' Andy murmured.

''What do you mean sweetheart?'' Tommy took his daughters hand and squeezed her hand.

''I mean you probably thought I would fall in love, get married and then maybe one day have children.'' Andy let out a sarcastic laugh. ''Not to not fall in love, then get pregnant with some random guy.''

"'Andy look at me,'' Tommy's voice sounded firm. ''I would lie if I would say this was what I dreamed for you, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Sweetheart I love you and Lissy with everything I am and I know I haven't always been the best example...''

''Dad, don't.'' Andy wanted to stop her father before he blamed it on himself. ''You always loved me, I know that.''

''But I wasn't always there for you.''

''Let's just agree that things didn't always went the way we wanted, but that in the end it worked out pretty good,'' Andy said.

The two of them moved over to a lighter conversation subject. They were talking and laughing, mostly about Lissy's latest actions. Andy was pretty sure her daughter would start walking any day now. Lissy would already push herself up and walk around whenever there was something to hold on to, but she didn't make any steps on her own yet.

''So, how's Swarek treating you?'' Tommy was glad that Andy's training officer was Sam. When he first met Sam he thought that he would be kicked of the force within a year. When he saw him work he had to come to different conclusion. Sam may be a rule breaker from time to time, but he only broke the rules that were worth breaking.

''Good,'' Andy said.

''He's not too hard on you?'' When Tommy heard his daughter broke Swarek's cover he was concerned Sam would make it personal. And Sam was not someone you would want to have against you.

''No, actually he is pretty great,'' Andy admitted. ''The first day was pretty rough, but after that he really turned around.''

''That's good, I trust him to have my little girls back.''

''Don't worry about it dad, he always backs me up.'' Andy smiled at how true her words were.

_A/N. Just a small chapter to build up a little!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

Two months later life was going great for Andy. It was just one month more before she would be cut loose, at least, that was the hope. Things with Lissy had been great, the girl started walking. And all though she fell more than she actually walked, Andy couldn't have been prouder when the girl made her first steps. Things between her and Luke were a little weird, they didn't really acknowledge they knew each other outside of work, but they were civil so Andy was fine with it. Her friends were all doing good, Chris was dating his high school sweetheart Denise again, Gail was still happy with Chris, Dov still seemed to have one disaster date after another and Traci was dating Jerry out in the open.

Things at work were great too. Most of the days she would ride with Sam, but on rare occasions she would work with Noelle or Oliver. She thought they all were great cops, but she preferred to work with Sam. She trusted him on a level she didn't quite trust the others yet. They sort of became friends over the last few months, she simply knew she could trust him.

Andy was looking over at the cruiser to Sam. Ever since she told him she and Luke were done there had been a tension between them. Well, who was she kidding, there had always been a tension between them. They even shared an almost kiss at her second day. But now that they were more familiar with each other and they were both single, the tension was bigger than before.

She glanced back at Sam and took in his posture. He looked in control, as always. Andy found it hard to describe Sam. He was rough, but not in a bad way. He actually was really sweet and caring whenever necessary.

Andy startled when the radio came to life. They got called to an apartment complex where someone called 991 because she heard shots getting fired. Andy quickly turned on the siren and lights and Sam pressed the gas pedal.

Within 10 minutes they were on the scene, Oliver and Dov also responded to the call and arrived before they did.

''Shaw, what have we got?'' Sam asked.

''Sammy, shots fired. Looks like 1 victim, he took it in the chest. Didn't make it. Already called homicide, they'll send someone over'' Oliver nodded at a parking lot next to the apartment. EMT was standing there with Dov and Sam saw a body lying on the ground.

''Any idea where the shots came from?'' Sam looked around and saw the open space between the buildings.

''Could have come from pretty much every building on that side.'' Oliver looked around and noticed a teenage boy walk up the street. When the young man saw the body on the floor he started running towards the crime scene. Andy quickly got a hold of the guy.

''Sir, that is a crime scene, you can't pass.'' Andy grabbed the guy and forced him back. He pushed her back and ran again.

''Tony!'' the boy called out.

Sam made his way over to help Andy out. When he heard another gunshot his heart stopped beating. He saw Andy fall to the ground. Another gunshot and the boy next to her fell too. Sam's feet started running and before he knew it he had his hands on Andy.

''McNally, do you hear me?'' he shouted at her. ''McNally, open your eyes.'' Oliver arrived to and crouched down next to the boy. He felt for a pulse but didn't get one. He looked over to his friend and realized he never saw Sam more out of control than in that very moment.

EMT immediately started running when they saw the officer and boy go down. One of them started working on the boy, while the other one worked on Andy. Sam saw Andy's eyes flutter open and she took in a big breath of air. She looked to be in a lot of pain, Sam flinched at the sight.

He was relieved to find out the bullet was stuck in her vest. It would hurt like a bitch, but she would very likely be okay.

Andy tried to sit up but hit the ground again. She looked Sam in the eye and tried to speak up. ''Lissy''

''McNally, the bullet is stuck in your vest. You will be okay.'' Sam yelled at her.

''Lissy,'' she tried again.

Sam moved to her head and hold her down. ''McNally, listen to me. You'll be okay. Just breath and I promise you that you'll have your daughter in your arms before you know it.''

Andy seemed to relax and Sam loosened her vest. When EMT noticed Andy was hit in the vest they both started working on the boy. Sam saw another cruiser arrive and when Gail and Noelle arrived he knew he had to leave Andy. She would be okay and he had a job to do.

''Peck,'' he called out. ''Sit with McNally, make sure she doesn't move.'' Sam's voice was back in control. His mind wasn't yet, but he knew he first had to clear the apartment where the gunshots came from. When Andy stirred again and tried to hold on to his hands. ''McNally, you have to lay still. You're evidence okay, don't move.''

Sam ran away with Noelle, Oliver and Dov were already in the apartment.

Half an hour later they arrested someone with a gun, Luke was at the scene to take statements and to make sure everything was processed as it should be. Sam was looking for Andy, he had to see with his own eyes that she was truly okay.

Sam saw Gail walking towards him. ''Peck,'' he called out. ''Where's Andy?''

''She's giving her statement right now,'' Peck motioned her hand towards one of the cars behind the building. ''over there, she's pretty shaken up.''

Sam knew he would have to keep his distance until she gave her full statement. He rubbed his hand over his face and thought about how close he came to losing her. How close Lissy came to losing her mother. He knew she would probably carry this day around for a long time. He got hit in the vest two times, not only did it hurt, it was scary as hell even for him. He knew the fact she had a girl depending on her at home, would only make things worse.

The minute he saw she was done giving her statement he walked towards her and pulled her away.

''How are you feeling?'' He asked.

''I'm okay, just shaken up. I heard you caught the shooter?'' Andy asked.

Sam wasn't particularly interested in that right now. Of course he was happy they got the guys that did this, he was more concerned about her. ''Yeah, two guys, seems to be gang related.''

He pushed Andy up against the wall and pressed his body to hers. She looked at him with a confused face while he swiped her bangs out of her face.

''Sam, what are you..'' Andy started.

Sam looked at her and felt the urge to kiss her. He just needed to feel that she was alive, okay. He needed to feel her heart beating. He knew kissing her would be crossing several lines. First of all they were at work in a public place, second of all she was his rookie and last but not least she just got shot. She was vulnerable and he couldn't take advantage of that.

''You scared the shit out of me Andy,'' he admitted softly.

''I wasn't too thrilled about it either.'' Andy looked Sam in the eye and he could see the tears shining in her eyes. ''God, I seriously thought this was it for a moment. What if it would have been, what about Lissy?'' At that she broke down and he pulled her into a hug. He placed a kiss in her hair and didn't say anything but just held her. He knew that whatever he would say it wouldn't reach her ears right now. He would have to sit her down and talk to her some other time, but not now. Now he just needed to make her feel safe again.

''You are okay Andy, these things happen to us. Not too often, thank god, but they do happen.'' He backed a little so he could look her in the eye. ''I'm sorry I didn't have your back.''

''You did,'' she said. ''You were there immediately, you always have my back.''

At that she stepped forwards again and pressed her lips to him. Sweet, soft and innocent but it felt like a lot more than that. Their hand didn't move, they just stood there, completely still for about 5 seconds.

All of the sudden Sam remembered all the reasons why this couldn't happen. Why he shouldn't let this happen. He backed away and rested his forehead against Andy's. ''Andy..'' he started. He didn't finish his sentence but he just sighed. ''Andy, we really can't..''

Andy looked at him with hurt in her eye. Did she misread all of the signs? She felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. ''No you're right. I'm sorry,'' she said before she let go of him and walked away.

''ANDY,'' Sam tried to call her back, but she kept on walking.

Her abdomen hurt like hell, but inside her something hurt more. She walked over to Dov who noticed the tears in her eyes.

''You alright Andy?'' Dov asked with a concerned voice.

''Yeah, could you give me a ride to the station?'' Andy asked. ''I'm done her and I have to go home, EMT orders.''

''Sure, let me just clear it with Shaw.'' Dov walked away, Andy saw him talking too Dov for about ten seconds before he came back. ''Okay, get in, we'll get you to the barn and I'll drive you home.''

''Just take me to the barn, I'll drive myself home,'' she tried.

''Andy, you got shot, I'm not going to let you drive home.'' Dov's voice didn't leave any room for discussion.

''Whatever,'' Andy sat down in the cruiser and flinched at the pain it cost her to move.

''Andy, you sure we don't need to take you to a hospital to get x-rays?'' Dov asked concerned for his friend health.

''EMT cleared me Dov,'' Andy said to him. Her gaze wondered over to where Sam was standing. He was looking at the cruiser with a look on his face Andy couldn't quite place. She looked him straight in the eye. ''It just hurts like hell,'' she said.

When Andy got to the station she immediately went into the shower. Traci got called back from patrol by the new Staff Sergeant Best. He ordered Dov to get back to patrol so Traci could help Andy shower and get her home. When Traci walked into the locker room and found Andy on a bench, obviously in pain she walked over to her best friend and gave her a small hug, careful not to hurt her bruised ribs.

''I'm supposed to help you get showered, changed and then get you home,'' Traci released her friend and kneeled down before her. ''You okay Andy?''

''Yeah,'' she replied. ''Just want to get Lissy, get home and forget about this day.''

''We'll get to that,'' Traci said to her friend, even though she knew Andy would probably not forget this day anytime soon.

When Andy was showered and on her way to the cruiser that was supposed to drive her home, she got called into Best' office.

''McNally,'' he said. ''Glad to see you're okay.''

''Me too sir,'' she replied.

''Did your training officer tell you what's going to happen now?'' Best wanted Andy to know the whole drill before she went home.

''No, we didn't really get a chance to talk,'' she lied. ''Everything happened so fast. He had to take over so Gail stayed with me. But EMT already told me I probably won't be able to work for a week.''

''Okay, I also want you to talk to someone sometime this week.'' Best looked at her with sympathy, but Andy wanted to hit him with something in that moment.

''Sir, with all due respect,'' she started.

''McNally,'' he stopped her. ''What you've been through today can affect the way you do your job. Especially when you're just starting out like you are. I don't want this to affect you any more than it has too. I will make an appointment for you with the department shrink. Until she clears you it's desk duty for you.''

Andy sighed and rolled her eyes a little.

Best didn't take it personally. ''McNally, I'm not doing this to bully you. I just want to look out for you. You are a promising cop and you have the potential to be great one day. I don't want anything getting in your way. Understand?''

Andy looked up and deep down she did understand. That didn't mean she had to like it. ''Yes sir, I understand. Thank you.''

''Now, let Nash drive you home and go rest.''

Andy wanted to pick up Lissy immediately, but Traci thought it was more sensible to bring Andy home so she could pick up Lissy alone. Traci was her emergency contact, so the daycare would hand Lissy over without any trouble. Andy protested for a little, but she actually really wanted to lie down in her bed. So she reluctantly agreed with Traci.

When Traci dropped her off at home Andy went to bed. She didn't even bother to change. Traci changed her into sweatpants and a hoodie, so she didn't mind she didn't have the energy to change.

Traci got back with Lissy half an hour later, she also went to the pharmacy to get Andy her painkillers.

Andy tried to sit up when Traci walked in, but her ribs kept her from moving up.

''Just lie still Andy,'' Traci walked back out of the room. ''I'll get you a glass of water so you can swallow your pills.''

''Leave Lissy her Traci, I'll put her on my other side so she won't hurt me.''

Traci put Lissy down on the bed on Andy's good side. Lissy crawled up to Andy's head and put her hands on her face.

''Hi sweetie,'' Andy cupped her daughters face and kissed her softly. ''Mommy loves you so much baby.''

Lissy started crying at that. It was like she sensed something was wrong with her mother.

''Oh baby girl, come here,'' Andy took her daughter at her good side so Lissy could lie halve on top of her mother. Normally Andy would put Lissy's entire weight on her, but she couldn't take that right now. When Traci walked back in she handed Andy the glass of water and helped her to drink it.

''Andy, I'm gonna go to the station to change. Dex has Leo tonight so I'm gonna pick up a few things and spend the night here okay?''

''Trace, you don't have to do that,'' Andy protested.

''Sweetie, you are sore now, but you'll be worse tomorrow,'' Traci reasoned with her best friend. ''Just think about it, if Lissy wakes up, needs a diaper change, a bottle or whatever, it will be much easier if someone's here to help.''

Andy didn't like that she always had to rely on others, but she knew Traci actually had a good point.

''Okay, thanks Traci.''

''You want me to take Lissy with me or will you be okay for a moment?''

''No, let her stay here. She will probably fall asleep anyway. I like looking at her.'' Andy traced a finger down Lissy's face. ''Thank you Traci, for everything. You are the best friend I could ever ask for. Absolute lifesaver.''

''I know, I'm the best.'' At that Traci walked out of the room. ''Be back in an hour, call me if you need anything.''

Traci actually was back within 45 minutes. She walked into Andy's bedroom and smiled when she saw the sight before her. Lissy was lying snuggled up to Andy's side fast asleep. Andy was on her back, also asleep. Andy had her arm draped around Lissy's belly and Lissy's pacifier was half out of her mouth. Traci walked into the living room and got Andy's camera, she knew Andy would like this picture.

After she made the picture she unpacked a few groceries she picked up. She started to make a meal, Andy probably wouldn't be so hungry, but Lissy had to eat and she would try to get something into Andy as well.

She heard Lissy stir in Andy's bedroom and when she walked in there she saw that both girls were awake.

''How are you feeling?'' Traci took Lissy out of Andy's bed.

''Sore, like really really sore.'' Andy sat up, but it didn't go easily. ''God, I seriously didn't think it would hurt this much to get hit in the vest.''

''We're just really lucky it was in the vest Andy.'' Both girls looked at each other for a moment.

''I made us dinner,'' Traci said. ''You should try and eat something, come into the living room. You'll have to keep moving to keep your muscles moving a little. Just don't overdo it okay?''

Andy followed Traci into the living room. They took turns in feeding Lissy and both ate too. Andy ate more than she thought she could handle, she actually had been very hungry. After Traci did the dishes she called Dex so she could say goodnight to Leo. When it was time for Lissy to go to bed, Traci changed her and put on her PJ's. She brought Lissy back to Andy so Andy could read to her and kiss her goodnight. Ten minutes later both girls were on the couch and talking.

Andy took a sip from her water. ''So,'' she started. ''I kind of kissed Sam.''

''WHAT?'' Traci yelled out. ''When?''

''After I got shot,'' Andy admitted like it was no big deal. ''It wasn't like a sexy kiss or something, just like.. simple.''

''Oh my god, what did he do?'' Traci knew Sam and Andy became pretty close, closer than any of the other rookies were to their TO's. Traci even suspected that there was more to it then friendship, but every time she brought it up Andy told her she was crazy.

''He pushed me away, he tried to let me down gentle. I seriously don't even know what got in to me, the guy is my T.O. and he's like ten years older than me.''

''Like that matters,'' Traci said. ''Jerry is older than me.'' Traci took another look at her friend. ''But, did he say something or did he do anything after that?''

''No, he just told me he couldn't do this and after that I got out of there as soon as I could.''

''Wow, McNally. You really know how to keep things interesting at the workplace.'' Traci started laughing.

''Traci, this is like not funny.'' Andy hissed. ''I made a complete fool of myself. That guy actually is my boss.''

''Andy, calm down. From what you told me he seems like a good guy. All the times I worked with him he didn't do anything to prove the opposite. Just tell him you were freaked out and just needed some comfort.''

''Yeah, because whenever I feel lousy I go kiss random guys. That doesn't make me seem like a slut at all,'' Andy protested.

''Andy be honest to yourself, is he really random?'' Traci didn't see the two of them together much, but she knew her friend well enough to know that there was something there. Andy actually cared about Sam, she knew that much. She wasn't sure if it was just friendship, or something more than that.

''I don't know Traci, I seriously don't know. I like him, but I just don't think I am suppose to like anyone right now. I won't allow myself to like him more than I'm allowed to like him.''

''That is a weird sentence,'' Traci said.

Andy played around with her glass of water. ''Traci, just think about it. He's my boss, so nothing can happen. I have Lissy and I need to focus on her, so nothing can happen. Why would I let myself feel something when nothing can happen anyway?'' Andy took another sip before she moved on. ''And I really don't want him to think I'm some kind of slut.''

''Why the hell would he think that?'' Traci asked with confusion written on her face.

''I have a kid who's dad isn't around anymore, I dated Luke for a few months and now I'm kissing him,'' Andy said. ''Looks pretty slutty to me.''

''Andy, come on.'' Traci tried to reason with her friend. ''Mark may not have been the best decision you ever made, but it got you Lissy. And I know you haven't so much as kissed a guy from the time you found out you were pregnant until you dated Luke. You and Luke have been over for two months now and you kiss someone else.'' Traci thought about it for a moment. ''That basically means that in the last two and a halve years you slept with two guys and kissed three guys. That isn't slutty.''

Andy groaned and put a pillow on her face. ''I just don't know what to do. When did life become so hard? I don't want to give Lissy a bad example. Plus dating is hard when you have a kid, how do you do it?''

''Honestly I'm just lucky to have Jerry. He's great with Leo. Leo liked him right away, so that means I'm happy.'' Traci thought about it for a while. ''I really think the key to a successful relationship with kids involved is that there has to be a click between the new person and the kid.''

''I'm tired,'' Andy said all of the sudden. ''I don't wanna talk anymore, makes me depressed.''

''Well, then let's sleep. You can share a bed or am I getting kicked to the couch?''

''Well, considering how good you've been to me, I feel it would be a crime to let you sleep on this too small couch.'' Andy stood up very slowly and made her way into her bedroom.

Andy got ready for bed first and was lying in bed while Traci took a shower. Traci didn't take a shower at the station so she could get to Andy's sooner. While Traci was in the shower Andy checked her phone. She saw she had a few text messages.

One from Dov and Chris asking if she needed anything. She quickly responded that Traci was with her and that she was doing okay.  
She had another one from Sam, she opened it while her heart rate picked up.

-_How you feeling McNally? Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.-_

Andy felt really uncomfortable trying to come up with a response. Would she ignore the kiss or should she just bring it up to get it over with. She decided to go with the latter.

-_I'm okay. Traci is here to help out, so I'm good. Sorry again for what happened, I don't know what got into me.-_

She only had to wait a minute before she got another response.

-_Don't worry about it, I'm very kissable, I get it.-_

Andy smiled to herself. It was very Sam like to make a joke of it, just to make her feel better.

_-Good to know you have no self esteem issues.-_

Andy put her phone away and tried to relax. Her ribs were killing her, she was waiting for another doze of pain killers to kick in. She was happy Sam took everything so well. She thought about what Traci said to her. She didn't know what this thing between her and Sam was, but there was something there. But then why would he push her away when she kissed him? Of course it was a crime scene, so it wasn't very professional. Plus he was her T.O., that also wasn't very professional. They also became friends, maybe he wouldn't want to put that on the line. And of course he knew about Lissy, maybe he wouldn't want a kid in his life.

Her phone beeped again and she opened the message.

_-Go to sleep Andy. You need to rest, I'll come by to bring you lunch tomorrow. Give Lissy a hug from me.-_

Andy smiled and responded quickly.

-_Will do, thank you Sam. Sleep well.-_

Andy lied back and smiled to herself. Whatever the attraction was between them, Andy knew that Lissy wouldn't be a problem for Sam. Knowing that she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.  
She didn't hear the shower turn off and Traci walk in. Even when Traci moved inside to sleep next to Andy she didn't wake. She felt peaceful for the first time since that morning.

_A/N. Kind of nervous about this chapter.  
Let me know what you think by reviewing it. Reviews actually make me more motivated to write more._


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you for the reviews, they really motivate me.  
I do think it's funny some people review things like: Please update again tonight.  
I live in Europe, so different time zone then where most of you live (assuming most reviews come from America). Usually when I get those reviews it's the middle of the night here, so then there won't be any updates. Besides, I think I'm updating quite a lot!_

_Hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story._

Chapter 9

Sam sat on his couch in front of the TV. He let out a sigh, this day could have turned out a lot worse. If things had gone slightly different, he would have spent the day at his old T.O.'s house, informing him that his only daughter had died on duty. Thank god things didn't turn out like that. Sam took another sip of his beer, the TV was on, but Sam wasn't focussing on it at all.

When he saw McNally fall to the ground he seriously thought he lost her for a moment. He never had been so relived as the moment he felt the bullet in her vest.

And then of course there was everything that happened after that. He wasn't an idiot, he felt the attraction between them. At first he thought it was just physically, but now he knew it was more than that. At least it was more than that to him. When she kissed him he wanted to kiss her back. He wished he could have pushed her to the wall and forget about the rest of the world, but he couldn't.

He was her training officer, if anything happened between them it would look bad on her. He knew she was a good cop, would be an awesome cop one day. Other people would say he was taking advantage of her and that she was sleeping her way to the top. He didn't care what people said about him, he honestly didn't. He knew she did care about what other people thought. If other people would accuse her of sleeping with him to get a good evaluation she would shut down, he knew that. So he couldn't let anything happen, no matter how much he wanted it.

He knew McNally was probably over thinking everything that happened right now. So he decided to sent her a text, just to see how she was doing and make sure there was no tension between them.

-_How you feeling McNally? Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.-_

He didn't get a reply until late that night, he thought she must have knocked out after taking pain killers. Jerry told him Nash was staying with her, so he knew she was well taken care of. Traci also could help her with Lissy, he was glad to know that.

-_I'm okay. Traci is here to help out, so I'm good. Sorry again for what happened, I don't know what got into me.- _

That was her reply. Sam didn't think she would be so bold about it.

-_Don't worry about it, I'm very kissable, I get it.- _

Sam thought it was probably better to make a joke out of it, brush away the obvious tension.

_-Good to know you have no self esteem issues.-_

That sounded like a typical McNally response, Sam took that as a sign she was doing okay. Of course she probably was in a lot of pain, but at least she felt good enough to joke.

He decided to sent her one more text to wish her a good night of sleep. He was happy Traci was with her, if Lissy started crying Andy would have a hard time getting out of bed in the middle of the night. With Nash there everything was taken care of. In a way he wished he would be able to help her out, but that probably would be inappropriate and not his place. In the last few months he obviously started to care about Andy, but also about Lissy. The handful of times he saw her she got him wrapped around her finger. It was kind of impossible not to be affected by her, she looked so much like her mother.

_-Go to sleep Andy. You need to rest, I'll come by to bring you lunch tomorrow. Give Lissy a hug from me.-_

Lunch, lunch wouldn't be inappropriate. At 15th it was kind of a tradition that you would look after your sick partner by checking up on them during your breaks. So his lunch stop would be totally justified.

-_Will do, thank you Sam. Sleep well.-_

At that Sam turned off the TV. He walked over to his bedroom and stripped down to his boxers. He walked into his bathroom and quickly used the toilet and brushed his teeth. He crawled into bed and drifted into a restless sleep.

Traci left Andy's place in the morning to go to work. She made sure that Lissy was fed and changed before she left Andy alone with her. Normally Andy would have to work to, but that was out of the question now. Andy had called her dad the night before to cancel his babysitting day, if she was at home she might as well keep Lissy with her.

By noon Andy was regretting that decision. Lissy was cranky all day long, it was as if she could sense Andy wasn't feeling well and that affected her too. Plus Andy couldn't pick her up the way she normally would, so Lissy was extra fussy.

At 12:30 Andy got a text message from Sam.

_-Gonna be at your place in halve an hour. Need to bring Lissy anything too?-_

That text drew the first genuine smile out of Andy. Sam was thoughtful, he never forgot the fact she had a baby girl at home. It was part of his charm, but it all seemed to come naturally to him.

-_No thank you, I'll make her something small. She's not having a good day.-_

-_Good to know McNally, I'll prepare myself for some serious tantrums.-_

Andy looked over at her daughter and decided today was as close to a tantrum as Lissy would get. In general she was a happy, well behaved baby. But of course she had bad days, the day she met Luke was a good example. Today Lissy just seemed to be a little off, but Andy wasn't concerned. It was nothing a little sleep wouldn't solve.

Fifteen minutes later Andy started making Lissy's sandwich. She tried to move as little as she had to while making her daughter lunch. She pulled Lissy's bottle from a cupboard and filled it with milk. Andy walked back into the living room and got Lissy out of her playpen. Andy had to stop walking for a moment to take a deep breath, she had so much trouble bending over that it was nearly impossible to pick Lissy up or put her down.

''Sorry mommy isn't any fun today baby girl,'' she whispered to Lissy.

Lissy didn't seem to get the message because she started squirming and wiggling to get out of her mother's arms. Andy held on tight as she winced. She quickly walked over to the kitchen and put Lissy in her high chair. She took a minute to let the pain decrease.

Andy sat down at the chair next to Lissy and put a piece of sandwich in Lissy's mouth. Lissy spit the sandwich out and let out a cry. Lissy was trying to get out of her high chair, something she wouldn't be successful in. Andy rested her forehead on the table.

''Lissy, please,'' Andy said in a desperate tone.

Andy tried to get another piece of bread in Lissy's mouth but Lissy spit it out once again. When Andy handed Lissy her bottle Lissy threw it on the ground.

''God, Lis.'' Andy didn't have any energy to cry or fight Lissy on it. She pushed her plate away and tried to calm her daughter by stroking her back and face. Normally she would take Lissy in her arms and walk around a little bit, but that would hurt too much with her bruised stomach, especially if Lissy would fight her on it.

Two minutes later there was a knock on her door. Andy slowly stood up and went to open the door. When Sam walked in he gave Andy a look over. She looked exhausted and drained.

''McNally, how you doing?''

Sam looked over to the kitchen area. He saw Lissy sitting in her high chair, but the little girl didn't look to happy about it.

''I'm fine,'' Andy tried. When Sam gave her a look she sighed. ''Yeah okay, my stomach hurts and Lissy is kind of making things hard today, but I'll be okay.''

Sam walked over to the kitchen and took the food out of the bag he was carrying with him. Lissy looked at him with a curious look, but didn't stop the wiggling and squirming.

Andy joined the two of them in the kitchen and she sat down next to Lissy.

''Lis, seriously please stop.''

Sam laughed a little. ''Is she not being reasonable with you McNally?''

Andy snorted at him. ''Well if you have any better ideas, you be my guest. Normally she calms down when I walk her around a little, but I can't do that right now. She has to pick today to be difficult.''

Andy looked up at the ceiling and Sam noticed how incredibly young she looked. ''She doesn't even want to eat anything.''

''She's one year old Andy, I'm sure you're doing everything you can. She'll eat when she's hungry.'' At that Sam walked over to Lissy and looked at Andy. ''May I?''

''Like, I said, if you have any better ideas,'' Andy let out. ''Just don't say I didn't warn you.''

''Take your sandwich Andy, it's the right one,'' Sam nodded at the two sandwiches on the table.

Andy smiled when she saw Sam picked her favorite sandwich. He really was kind of perfect.

''Thanks Sam,'' she said while giving him a small smile.

Sam took Lissy out of her high chair. Lissy didn't stop wriggling and she started crying harder when she was in Sam's arm. Sam looked over at Andy, she looked like she could start crying any moment too. She probably was exhausted as it was, Lissy wasn't making things easier for her.

''McNally, I got her for a moment okay?'' Sam started rocking Lissy, but she didn't calm down. Andy looked at him with a glare. ''I saw crying kids before Andy, I can handle it just eat and try to relax a little.''

Sam started walking around with Lissy. Andy was shocked when she started to calm down after a minute or five. Sam walked over to the window and started pointing at cars, trees and people outside. Andy couldn't hear him but she saw he was talking to Lissy. Andy smiled at the sight before her. Lissy was an easy kid in general, but whenever she had had a bad day there were only a select few she would tolerate. Andy was glad to see Sam was one of those people.

Sam kept talking to Lissy, walking her around and handing her a few toys before he came back to Andy ten minutes later. He sat down at the table but didn't put Lissy back in her high chair, he placed her on his lap. Lissy looked tired and she put her head against Sam's arm. Andy silently handed Sam is own lunch and smiled at him.

''It's like watching magic,'' Andy said smiling.

''What? My charm works on women of all ages McNally,'' Sam smirked at her while taking a bite of his sandwich. Lissy looked up at him with big eyes. ''What, now you want to eat to?''

''You can give her to me if you want to,'' Andy said. ''I already finished my lunch, was delicious by the way. Thank you.''

''I've got her McNally,'' Sam took Lissy's plate that was in the middle of the table. He took a little piece of bread and put it next to Lissy's mouth. Lissy opened her mouth and took the piece of sandwich in. Sam would switch feeding himself and feeding Lissy while Andy looked at the two of them. They were pretty much silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. When Lissy's bread was almost gone she started turning her head at the food again. Sam looked up at Andy and she smiled.

''I'm already happy she's got some food in her, so she can skip the rest.'' Andy tried to pick up the bottle that was still lying on the floor but winced with pain again. Tears sprang in her eyes and she took in a deep breath.

''McNally, you really need to lie down.'' Sam said concerned. ''If you'll rest you'll heal quicker.''

''Sam, I've got Lissy. I can't just go to bed whenever I feel like it.'' Andy sort of snapped at him.

Sam stayed calm, stood up with Lissy, picked up the bottle and sat down again. Lissy took the bottle from Sam and started drinking her milk. ''Andy, you were suppose to be working today. Who would have her?''

''My dad, but I already told him I would take her and I don't want him to change his plans again.''

''I think your father rather had you called him and asked for help than you struggling alone.'' Sam stated calmly.

''I'm fine Sam, she'll take a nap later so I'll lie down too.'' Andy looked down at the hem of her shirt. She knew he was right, she was struggling to take care of Lissy today. If Lissy would wake up tonight crying it would be hard for Andy to get her out of bed, calm her down and put her back in.

''I can't tell you what to do McNally, but I know how it feels to take one in the vest.'' Sam stood up again with Lissy and took the seat next to Andy, he gently put a hand on her shoulder. ''There's no shame in admitting you can't do everything by yourself.'' Andy looked up at him and gave him a small smile, she opened her arms so Sam would place Lissy on her lap. Andy kissed Lissy and rested her head on top of her daughters. ''Just call your dad, see if he can take her for the night. If he can: great, if he can't then you make it work.''

''Yeah, you're probably right,'' Andy said.

''Of course I am,'' Sam replied. He nudged her shoulder and started clearing the table.

Andy stood up with Lissy in her arms. Lissy was already more asleep then awake. ''I'm just gonna put her..'' Andy nodded at the nursery.

''Yeah sure, take your time. I still got twenty minutes of my break left,'' Sam said.

Andy walked into the nursery and changed a halve asleep Lissy. She left the girl's shirt on, not bothering to change her into her pyjama. Andy felt her own exhaustion and decided she would take Sam's advice. Her father probably had no problem taking Lissy for the night and Lissy would be better off with him tonight.

Andy walked back out and saw that Sam already did the dished. ''You could have left those,'' she said to him.

''Neh, it was no problem,'' Sam replied.

''I feel like I say this about a million times a day, but thanks again Sam,'' Andy smiled at Sam, but kept her distance.

Sam took a deep breath and decided he had to talk to her about yesterday. ''Andy, about what happened yesterday,'' he started.

''Sam, I'm sorry it won't happen again I was just emotional,'' Andy quickly said.

Sam looked at her, he felt slightly hurt at her words. ''Okay,'' he nodded.

''This is really embarrassing,'' Andy said while looking away.

''No need to be embarrassed McNally,'' Sam said.

Andy let out a laugh. ''Yeah, I only kissed my boss and he rejected me,'' Andy's eyes widened when she realized what she said. ''Sorry, sometimes my filter doesn't work.''

Sam laughed a little. ''I didn't reject you Andy,'' he smiled softly at her.

''No offence Sam, but you kinda did.'' Andy felt really uncomfortable having this conversation, she didn't exactly mean to put it all out there. But sometimes she said things before she thought them trough.

''Andy, I didn't push you away because I don't want you,''

''Sam, seriously please stop trying to save my feelings, it's fine I get it,'' Andy interrupted him.

''Oh for the love of...'' Sam said as he moved towards her slowly. Andy's eyes widened when she saw him coming towards her. Sam made sure he wouldn't hurt her ribs when he moved his hand to cup her face. He pulled her face up and crashed his lips to hers. Andy was confused for a few moments, but started kissing him back. The kiss grew more intense and Sam forgot about Andy's injuries for a moment. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. Andy backed away.

Andy let out a pained whimper. She took in a deep breath again and closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling.

''God Andy, I'm so sorry, are you okay?'' Sam could hit himself in that moment for being so stupid. How could he forget she was in pain? How could he break the one simple rule he made for himself? It seemed that when it came to her, he couldn't think straight.

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' Andy didn't sound convincing but she forced out a smile.

Sam looked at her with a pained face. He hated seeing her in pain, it was even worse when he was the one costing her pain. ''Andy, are you sure?''

In that moment everything became too much for Andy. The pain of the shooting, the fear she felt yesterday, the hard day she had with Lissy, the lack of sleep. ''Sam seriously what's going on here? You can't just kiss me to shut me up when you made it perfectly clear that you don't want anything from me.'' Andy tried to keep her voice down for Lissy's sake, but her tone was firm and serious.

''Andy,'' Sam looked up at the ceiling and flashed his teeth. ''Andy, it's not that I don't want anything from you. It's the opposite of that.''

''What the hell do you mean Sam?'' Andy was done with people who were playing games with her life. She couldn't take it anymore, wouldn't take it anymore.

''I like you Andy, but there are rules,'' Sam tried to reason with her. He never saw her pissed off and he didn't know what triggered that.

''Rules? Since when do you care about the rules?'' Andy asked him.

''Since the rules are there to protect you.'' Sam raised his voice a little.

They both stood there, just looking at each other for a moment.

''Andy..'' Sam started. She looked up to him and he cupped her face again. ''I like you okay. Yesterday I wanted to kiss you back, but if people would have seen it...''

''I know,'' Andy replied softly.

Sam couldn't fight the urge to kiss her one more time. He pressed his lips to her. It was a slow kiss.

They broke apart when his phone started ringing. Sam looked at the clock and noticed his break ended a while ago. He looked apologetic to Andy.

''Swarek,'' he answered his phone. He listened for a moment. ''Yeah, okay, I'm on my way.''

Sam put his phone back in his pocket. ''I've got to go Andy,'' he said to her.

''I know,'' she looked at him and took a deep breath.

''Is it okay if I come by later. I really think we should talk about this.'' Sam didn't stop looking at her the entire time.

''Yeah, sure..'' Andy said in a insecure tone. She wanted to talk too, but she wasn't too sure she would like what he had to say. Part of that doubt was taken away when he pushed his lips to hers one more time. It was a reassuring kiss.

''Just don't over think it McNally,''

She smiled up at him with a nervous smile and nodded. ''I'll see you later?'' she asked.

''Yeah, I'll see you later.''

At that Sam walked out of the door and left Andy alone. Alone so she had all the time in the world to over think things again.

_A/N. I was really doubting between speeding things up between the two of them or keeping things friendly for a while. But then I decided I don't like slow. Plus on the actual show we already had enough build up. _

_Let me know if you agree! _


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you all again for the reviews, they are the best. _

_Someone reviewed me that in America people don't give bread to babies.  
Where I come from we actually do, but now that I think about it I actually knew that in America that probably isn't normal. I only visited America once, but when I was there I noticed the bread is really different from how we eat it here. _

_Let's just say Andy made Lissy some Dutch bread. _

Chapter 11!

The rest of Sam's day was crazy. There had been a big car accident with multiple vehicles involved. At the beginning of the day he was riding alone, but later he had to take Diaz to make a death notification. Like every cop Sam thought that was the hardest part about being a cop. Telling people a loved one died was the hardest thing there is. Chris had never made a dead notification, so Sam had walked him through the steps. Sam took the lead, but he thought Diaz did a good job dealing with the family.

By the time Sam reached the locker room he felt drained. He had two hard shifts on a row, not to mention the personal stuff that was occupying his mind. He knew he had to talk to Andy, they needed to talk things through before they got seriously out of hand. At least if they put down all their cards, they could talk about it together. Make a decision together. Sam took a shower, normally he took fast showers, but today he took his time.

When he walked out of the locker room he ran into Nash.

''Sir, have you been by Andy's place? She mentioned you might bring her lunch today.'' Trace asked him.

''Yeah, why? Something wrong?,'' Sam asked concerned.

''No, she texted me she was fine but I know she hardly slept and was in a lot of pain. We were all sort of worried about her. Just wanted to know if she was really fine.''

Sam could see what his friend saw in this girl. She genuinely cared for people, just like Andy did. ''Nash, it's natural she's shaken up. She'll probably be in pain for a few more days, but she'll be fine.''

''Thanks sir,'' Traci told him.

Sam hated when the rookies called him sir, it made him feel old. He never bothered to tell them that, he just tried to ignore it as much as he could. Sam took out his phone out of his pocket and texted Andy.

-_Is it okay if I come by right now? I'll bring dinner.-_

His phone beeped just a minute later.

-_Yeah sure-_

Her reply wasn't very enthusiastic, but no matter what she would have to say. Sam knew they needed to talk. If he didn't like what she had to say he would learn to deal with it.

-_Lissy home or dinner for two?-_

_-My dad picked her up.-_

Once again a short reply. Sam decided to pick up Chinese food. He drove to a restaurant he knew was good. After that he quickly drove himself over to Andy's place. He knocked the door, but it took her a moment to answer it. He knew she probably just had a hard time getting up.

''Hey,'' she smiled weakly at him when she opened the door.

''Hey, I brought Chinese food, hope that's okay,'' he said while he walked into her apartment. He knew where she held her plates because of their lunch this afternoon. So he quickly got a few plates from the kitchen, before joining her in the living room.

''When did your dad pick Lissy up?''

''I called him right after you left,'' she told him. ''He came by immediately and took her with him after she woke up. He'll bring her back tomorrow afternoon.''

''Okay, that's good. Means you can get your rest.'' Sam sat down on a chair while Andy sat on the couch. ''You got any sleep?''

''Yeah,'' Andy picked up some food and started playing with it on her plate. Every now and then she took a small bite, but she was too nervous to actually eat a whole meal.

Sam noticed her tense up again, but he didn't really know how to start. He knew what he wanted, he also knew that he couldn't have it. ''McNally,'' he started.

Andy looked up at him, eyes wide and question written all over her face.

''McNally, just relax okay?'' Sam tried.

''What? I'm fine, totally relaxed.'' Andy looked Sam in the eye and he raised his eyebrows at her. ''What? I am!''

''Whatever you say McNally,'' Sam said.

''But..'' Andy started, she saw that Sam looked up again with an amused expression on his face, but decided to let that slide. ''You wanted to talk, so we probably should talk.''

''Right,'' Sam said. He shifted in his chair and looked at Andy again. ''Maybe we should eat first?'' Sam thought it would be easier to be focused at one thing right now. Plus when they would get into their conversation the food would probably be forgotten.

''Yeah sure,'' Andy said again nervously. ''So, how was your day?''

Sam smiled to himself, it really was impossible for her to just be silent. ''It was long,'' Sam said, not willing to get into any details again.

''Who were you riding with?'' Andy was interested to know what was going on at 15th while she was away.

''Diaz,'' Sam replied.

''You dumped him for lunch? That's mean,'' Andy said. Sam looked at her and rolled his eyes a little.

''I didn't ride with him till after lunch, but if I would've, I'm sure he would be fine McNally. Last thing I heard Diaz was perfectly capable of eating lunch without a partner to back him up.''

Andy looked at him for a moment before returning her attention to the food. They talked about light subjects while eating: the weather, TV and sports. When they both finished eating Sam quickly gathered everything and brought it into the kitchen. He threw the trash out and decided to leave the dishes. There were only two plates and cutlery. He opened her fridge and took out a beer for himself and a water bottle for Andy. He felt that it would save her a trip to the kitchen and she probably wouldn't mind. When he walked back into the room Andy looked at him.

''You always make yourself at home at other people's houses?'' Andy said clearly not meaning it.

''Just with you McNally,'' Sam handed her the water bottle and sat down again. ''So,'' he swallowed and looked Andy in the eye. ''We probably have one or two things to talk about.''

''Yeah, probably,'' Andy said. All of the sudden she seemed to be very interested in her water bottle. She was playing with the label and pulled it off slightly, only to put it back on again.

''Andy, you have to know by know that I care about you right?'' Sam said in a serious tone. It was impossible for her not to know, they had spend so much time together over the last few months. Of course the first few weeks they worked together had been tense, she arrested him and that cost him eight months of his life, but when he saw her potential he turned around his attitude.

After that they became partners, after that they became good partners. And over the last two or three months they became friends. Sam knew she had a lot going on and helped her out whenever he could. He knew she would do the same if he ever needed any help.

''Yes Sam,'' her voice brought him back from his thoughts. ''Of course I know that. But things are so complicated between us. I seriously don't know what to think anymore.''

Sam moved over to the couch so he could sit next to her. He planted on leg on the couch and sat on it so he was facing her. ''What do you think?''

''Oh no,'' Andy started. ''That's not fair. You can't expect me to put it all out there and then just tell me if I'm right or wrong.''

''Andy,'' Sam tried again. He took a deep breath and looked away from her for a moment. He was an action kind of guy, he didn't like talking. He especially doesn't like talking about feelings. ''We've got ourselves in a tricky situation here. Like I said I care about you, I don't want anything to happen to you.''

Andy was suddenly very invested in her water bottle again. She couldn't stop fidgeting with her hands. This conversation was not going smoothly, they were both just dancing around the subject.

''What are you afraid will happen?'' Andy asked him.

''A lot of things could happen Andy.'' Sam looked at her again and she looked back. ''If anything would happen between us and people would find out..'' Sam stopped for a moment to think. ''If people would find out they could fire you. I've been here for a long time, they would kick me behind a desk for a while, but I would be fine. You're new so for you it's different.'' Sam ran his hand across his face. ''And if they wouldn't fire you, there would be a lot of talk.''

''Talk?'' Andy asked not really getting the point. There always was a lot of talk and gossip going on at 15th. She knew that when she was dating Luke she also was the subject of some juicy rumors about getting favors from Luke.

''If people think we were sleeping together and I give you a positive evaluation, what do you think that looks like?'' Sam asked her. ''Even if they couldn't prove anything or fire you, this would follow you around Andy. I don't want anything like that for you.''

And laughed a little. ''Seriously Sam?'' Sam looked at her with a questioning look. He really didn't see what would be funny here. ''My mom left me, didn't want me. My dad has been an alcoholic most of my life, I'm a single mom and my daughter has no father because he didn't give a damn about me or her.'' Sam still looked at her, he didn't really know what that had to do with anything. ''You think I care about what people would say? I've been judged my whole life and of course that sucks from time to time. But by now I realize that I shouldn't care about what other people say, as long as the people I care about know the truth. ''

Sam looked at her and was slightly amazed at what she just said. He misjudged her, of course he knew her life hadn't been easy but he never thought about how it affected the way people looked at her. When he looked at her he saw someone that was so strong for going though all of that. He never thought about the fact she probably was fighting to beat prejudices all her life.

''Andy, nothing has to happen between us. We're good the way we are now and I'm fine with keeping things that way.'' Sam was lying, he wasn't fine with keeping things the way they were, but for her sake he could do it.

''I don't know,'' Andy answered him truthfully.

''It's fine Andy, I understand,'' Sam said disappointed. ''I think I'll just go and I'll see you okay? Take care.'' Sam tried to stand up put Andy's hand on his thigh stopped him.

''Sam, I mean I don't know because...'' Andy sighed and dropped her head to her hands. ''My life is complicated okay.'' She looked up to him and saw she had his full attention again.

''Andy, like I told you already, it's fine,'' Sam was disappointed but of course he wouldn't want to do anything that made her feel uncomfortable.

''No it's not,'' Andy interrupted. ''Look, things with Luke went south because he couldn't handle Lissy. He didn't understand that she is my first priority,''

Now it was Sam's turn to interrupt her. ''McNally,'' she hated that he was using her last name again. ''I'm not Callaghan okay, don't compare me to him.''

''Sam please, can you just let me finish?'' Andy looked at him and waited until he nodded before she continued. ''Luke wanted me to bring her to someone else for a few days so we could be alone. When I refused he got mad. And I'm not saying you are like him, everything you did for me already proved that you are nothing like that. But anyone who wants any place in my life gets Lissy too.''

Sam opened his mouth again but Andy shut him up by raising her hand.

''You told me I could talk,'' she said. ''Look Sam, I just need you to understand that being with me means that I can't go out whenever you feel like it. I can't lie in bed till noon or spent the night somewhere else. I've got Lissy to think about and she will always be my first priority, no matter what happens.'' Andy let out a breath when she was finished. Part of the reason things with Luke went south was because she hadn't been honest with him from the start. If she would have told him about Lissy immediately he probably never would have made a move. And even if Sam was different than Luke, he had to know Lissy was the most important thing in his life.

Sam moved closer to her and cupped her face with one hand. ''Andy,'' he moved his thumb over her lips and gave her a small smile. ''I know you love Lissy more than anything else, she should be your priority.'' Sam leaned in and pressed his lips to Andy's. It wasn't a kiss filled with passion, it was simple. Just two pairs of lips pressed together.

Sam backed away and pressed a kiss to her forehead. ''I'm not saying it will be easy all the time and I definitely think we should be really careful because of work and because of Lissy. But I hope you'll just give me a chance, we can wait till after you're cut loose if you want to.''

Andy smiled at him and pressed their lips together for just a second. ''I want that too,'' she said. ''But I really do think we should be careful. You already met Lissy and she likes you so that's not a problem, but I can't have her getting too attached.'' Andy realised what she was saying and quickly spoke up again. ''Not that I think..''

Sam stopped her. ''Andy, I get what you are saying. I actually think it's smart. We don't know what will happen and you have to protect her. It's what every good mother should do.''

Andy let out a relieved breath. ''But what is the point in waiting until I am cut loose? We both know that there is something here. Aren't we just fooling ourselves if we do that?''

''Maybe, but it also would be to make sure no one has any reason to doubt your skills.'' Sam said.

''If people would see us together two months after I'm cut loose, wouldn't they sort of make the same assumption?'' Andy asked him. ''They would just assume we were already together when I was a rookie or that you gave me a positive evaluation because you were trying to get into my pants.''

''I just want to make sure you are 100% sure about what you're getting yourself into,'' Sam said.

''Nothing in life is 100% certain,'' she said. ''But I know I can trust you.'' At that she moved her face closer to his again. He moved in two and they shared another kiss. She opened her mouth allowing his tongue access. They sat there for a few moments just kissing. After that afternoon Sam was sure to keep his hands to himself, he wouldn't hurt her again.

''Andy, we really should keep this between us,'' he said when they broke apart. ''At least until you've been cut loose for a while. I don't want to take any risks regarding your career.''

''I know,'' Andy muttered. ''We'll make it work.'' She moved her hand up to his face and traced his jaw. She pressed her lips to his again and sighed. She laid her head on his shoulder and put her hand on his chest.

''How's your stomach?'' Sam asked her.

''It's fine, hurts a little but I'll live.''

Sam moved away from her a little bit so he could look at her. ''Can I see?''

Andy hesitated for a moment before she slowly unzipped her hoodie and pushed her top up.

Sam looked at her stomach and saw that it was one big bruise. He slowly ran his fingers over her stomach, barely touching her so he wouldn't hurt her.

''Sam,'' she said. ''Sam, I'm okay.''

He looked back at her face and slowly put her top back in its place. ''Thank god for that.''

They both just sat together on her couch the rest of the evening. Sam didn't let her go to the kitchen to get refills, but told her he could do it. They talked, stole a kiss every now and then and just relaxed. Sam noticed her eyes were beginning to flutter every now and then and decided he should leave soon.

''Andy, I have to go,'' Sam said.

''Oh, yeah no sure you probably got places to be.'' Andy moved her head away from his shoulder where it had been resting.

''It's not that, but you're tired and you need your rest,'' Sam said.

Andy smiled at him, he always seem to put her well being first. ''I actually was feeling really rested to just lie here with you.''

Sam smiled back and kissed her again, he just didn't seem to get enough of her. ''You'll feel better sleeping in a bed, I promise.'' At that he stood up.

''Sam,'' Andy started. He looked at her waiting to speak up but she didn't say anything.

''Something wrong McNally?''

''No,'' Andy hesitated for a moment. ''It's just that, if you want to.. you could sleep here.''

Sam looked at her, of course he wanted to spent the night with her but she was hurt. This afternoon he hurt her when he just pressed her against him, there was no way he was going to do anything that would hurt her. ''Andy, you're hurt.''

''No, I don't mean that.'' Andy said. ''I just mean sleep, I know I'm not really in any shape to do anything else right now.''

Sam hesitated for a moment. He wanted to stay, but it would also be torture to lie in a bed with her and to not be able to touch her. ''If you're sure?''

''Positive,'' she said. She slowly got off of the couch and walked towards the bedroom.

''There's a new toothbrush in the cabinet in the bathroom,'' Andy said. ''I don't know if you want to shower?''

''No, I'm fine I showered at the station.''

''Okay, I'll just go brush my teeth.'' Andy left Sam alone and moved towards the bathroom. Sam slowly stripped down to his boxers and sat down on the bed. When Andy came out of the bathroom he got up and went in there. When he came out again Andy was already lying in bed. She lifted the covers for him so he could join her.

Andy stayed on her back, he knew that was probably to not have any pressure on her ribs. Sam moved on his side facing her. He pushed himself up again so he could hover over her. He brushed the hair out of her face and slowly kissed her for the last time that day.

''Good night Andy, sleep well.''

''I will, you too.''

Somewhere that night Sam woke up when he felt a hand tracing patterns on his bare chest. He opened his eyes and saw that Andy moved to her side while he moved to his back. The room was dark, but he knew she was awake.

''What's wrong?'' Sam asked her.

''Nothing, go back to sleep,'' Andy said.

Sam moved over to his side to so he could face her. The room was dark, but he could make out the features of her face. ''What's going on in that head?''

''Just thinking.''

''About?'' He really hoped she wasn't having any second thoughts. He really wanted to give them a try even if it meant sneaking around for a while.

''I'm gonna lie to my friends,'' Andy moved on her back slowly, still careful not to hurt her ribs.

Sam sight and rolled to his back to, he stayed there for a few seconds before rolling on his side again. Sam ran his fingers through Andy's hair and stroked her cheek with his other thumb. ''Andy, I've already told you. If you are not sure about this.''

''No, no that's not it I promise,'' she quickly said.

Sam let out a breath, he slowly kissed her before turning back to their conversation. ''We could always wait until you're cut loose,'' he said slowly. He didn't think that would work, he didn't even think they would be able to pull that off, but if it would make her feel more comfortable they could at least try.

''I kind of feel like we already had this conversation,'' Andy chuckled.

''If you're having seconds thought..'' Sam was really doing everything he could to give her an out. She shouldn't feel pressured about anything.

''Sam,'' she said. Andy moved her face up, cupped his face and kissed him. Andy ran her tongue over his bottom lip and Sam opened his mouth allowing her access. Andy slowly lay back again taking Sam with her. Andy was lying on her back and Sam was pressed against her on his side, his head was in an uncomfortable angle this way but at least he wouldn't hurt her ribs. Sam pulled his mouth away from hers and slowly trailed kisses down her jaw line and neck. Andy pulled on his head so he would kiss her on the lips again. Sam got the hint and kissed her lips one more time.

''Sam, I already told you that I want this.'' Andy moved her hand up again so she could touch his chest again. ''It's not going to be easy, but I want this. I want you.''

''Good, I want you too,'' Sam said. He was smiling widely and moved to lay down his head again.

''We can't be seen in public together,'' Andy said.

''Andy, we'll figure it out along the way. It's probably smartest if we avoid public places for now and don't tell our friends.''

At that he heard Andy sigh and he felt she moved her head so she could look at him. ''Rules suck,'' Andy said.

Sam laughed at her immaturity. ''We'll be okay Andy.''

''I know, just don't like lying to my friends. They are always there for me and I know they worry about me. Every time I needed a babysitter for Lissy, a ride when my car broke down or just someone to talk to, they were there. Chris and Dov are like my brothers and Traci is my best friend. Even Gail always did everything she could to support me.''

''You have good friends Andy and you're not lying to them. For your own benefit you'll just have to wait a while to tell them.'' Sam kissed the tip of her nose.

''I know.'' They both were silent for a few moments before Andy started talking again. ''Promise me something.''

''Go,'' he said.

''Don't favor me okay? In my evaluation just be completely honest. I really can't be _that_ girl.''

''Andy stop worrying.'' Andy snorted and Sam knew she probably would never stop worrying about anything. ''I'm not going to favor you okay? I know you have the ability to be a great cop someday, but I can still see the things you need to grow in.'' Sam stroke her cheek again. ''I promise you that everything I'll write down in my evaluation will be true.''

''Good,'' Andy said.

They moved towards each other and shared another kiss. Andy was amazed with how much of a gentleman Sam was being. They kissed a lot during the night, but he kept his hands to himself knowing she was hurt. When the kiss broke they both moved back to their own pillows.

''Sleep Andy, we'll be okay,'' Sam said.

''We will.''

_A/N Let me know what you think_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The next day Sam woke up in an empty bed. He could smell coffee and decided to head to the kitchen. He debated between putting on his jeans and going in there in his boxers and decided to go with the latter. When he moved into the living room he saw Andy standing in the kitchen area. She was wearing shorts and a tank top and was smiling while she was cooking breakfast. She looked up and saw him standing there, her smile grew wider.

''Good morning, how did you sleep?'' she asked him.

''Good, you? How are you feeling?''

''Actually I feel a lot better than yesterday. My ribs still hurt, but at least I can move without flinching now,'' she said.

Sam was standing next to her now. ''That's good,'' he said.

Sam took a strand of hair in his hand and pushed it behind her ear. He moved his face towards hers and kissed her. She hesitated for a moment and Sam looked at her with a confused face.

''Morning breath,'' she said. ''Haven't brushed my teeth yet.''

''Neither have I McNally, I honestly couldn't care less about your breath right now so just come here and let me kiss you.''

Andy's smile grew wider before she stepped forward again and kissed him back. They stood there making out for several minutes. Andy had put her arms around Sam's neck and Sam let his arms fall loosely around her waist.

''What are you making?'' Sam muttered against her lips.

''Bacon and eggs,'' she replied. ''You have to get out of here, I can't focus with you looking like that.''

''Like what McNally?'' Sam smirked.

''Like more naked than dressed and very hot, now go.''

Sam smiled to himself and moved away from the kitchen. ''I'll grab a fast shower okay? I've got an extra set of clothes in my truck so it will save me a trip to my house.''

''Yeah sure, there are fresh towels in the closet!'' Andy yelled at him. She smiled and continued to make breakfast. There were still a lot of thoughts in her head, but Sam actually made her feel like things could be okay. He clearly had no problem with Lissy, that was the most important thing to her. Work stuff would be hard for a while, but Sam seemed confident they could pull it off. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardise her career. It was almost scary how easily she trusted him in her life.

While Andy finished making breakfast, Sam showered. By the time he came out to the kitchen again he was just pulling out the plates.

''Sit down,'' she said.

''Bossing me around already,'' he mocked.

''Hey, I just wanted to do something nice for you,'' she said faking a hurt voice. ''I feel like you've done so much for me and I never do anything for you.''

Sam looked at her with a serious expression on his face. ''Andy, everything I did for you, I did because I wanted to do it okay? Not because I felt obligated or because I expected anything in return.''

''I know Sam,'' Andy chuckled. ''It's just breakfast, wanted to do something sweet.''

''I know, thanks.''

After that they ate together and did the dished together. Sam knew he had to leave if he wanted to make it to parade on time.

''Andy, I've got to go.''

''Yeah..'' Andy stepped up on her toes and pulled him in for another kiss. They got carried away a little and Sam had to back away before things got out of hand.

''I really have to go McNally.''

''So go, I'm not stopping you,'' she smiled sweetly.

''You're going to be the death of me,'' Sam muttered before he kissed her again and took his coat. ''You going to be okay?''

''Yeah, my dad will bring Lissy back in a few hours and I feel much better than I did yesterday. Must have been the good company,'' she said.

''Must be,'' Sam said with a smirk on his face. He gave her one last peck on the lips and moved out of the door.

Andy took a quick shower and was amazed with how much difference one day could make on how her body felt. Yesterday she felt like she could cry every time she moved, today things were not that bad. She felt a little bit uncomfortable, but wasn't in a lot of pain anymore.

Tommy dropped Lissy by around 12:30 and Andy took her daughter from him immediately.

''Hey baby girl, did you have fun at grandpa's,'' Andy kissed the girls head and hugged her. Andy was still amazed with how much she loved her daughter. She had seen her less than 24 hours ago, but she missed her like crazy when she wasn't around.

Lissy laughed at her mother and put her arms around Andy's neck. Lissy was making gibber sounds and Andy sat down with her. ''Thanks for taking her dad. I really couldn't handle everything yesterday.''

''It's what I'm here for sweetheart. You know that if you or Lissy ever need anything I'm here right?'' Tommy knew he hadn't been the best father in the world to Andy, he wanted to make sure he wouldn't make the same mistake again with his granddaughter.

Andy nodded at him and handed Lissy one of her favorite toys. Tommy looked down at the two most important girls in his life and saw a spark in his daughter's eyes.

''You okay Andy?'' he asked her.

''Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better,'' Andy asked truthfully.

''You look happy,'' Tommy stated.

Andy looked at her father. She was slightly amazed he could tell that she was finally feeling like things were falling to place. Sometimes Andy used to forget her dad had worked as a cop for many years, of course he could see a change in his own daughter. Andy wanted to tell her dad the reason she was happy. Actually she wanted to tell Traci or Gail why she was happy, but they definitely couldn't know. Maybe her father knowing wouldn't be so bad? Andy debated it internally for a few seconds before she decided she wouldn't betray Sam's trust. They had decided together that it was best if nobody knew, she would keep that promise.

''I am dad,'' Andy said. She gave her daughter another kiss and stroked her back. ''I really am happy.''

XX

The rest of the week flew by. Andy was feeling better every day, she kept Lissy home the rest of the week and was actually enjoying her time off. Andy never saw herself as a mother who could stay at home with the kids, but for a week she could handle it. Four days after the shooting Andy had to talk to the departments therapist, at first Andy brushed it off as unnecessary, but when she was with the woman she felt relieved to go over everything. It felt good to tell the whole story to a stranger. The therapist asked her some questions and they talked for over an hour. The therapist saw no reason not to clear her, obviously things had startled her a little but the therapist was positive she would be fine.

During her week off Andy only saw Sam once. Sam was busy working and Andy turned in early most of the evenings. On the night before she returned to work, Sam stopped by her apartment. He asked her if it was okay by text and she told him it was fine. Andy just finished feeding Lissy when she heard him knock. Andy moved to open the door and let Sam in.

Sam stepped in and put his hand around her waist. He kissed her sweetly and cupped her face with the hand that wasn't around her waist. ''You look better,'' he murmured against her lips.

''In contrast to how horrible I looked before?'' Andy asked him teasingly.

Sam laughed, he knew she was kidding. ''You looked tired last time I saw you, now you look like you're rested. How are the ribs?''

''Barely hurt anymore,'' Andy said as she reluctantly let go of Sam and moved into the kitchen area. Lissy was still sitting in her high chair and was ready to get out of there. Andy felt a little bit nervous, she and Sam had talked on the phone a few times this week, they texted a lot, but they hadn't really talked about how they would act around Lissy. Andy knew it was probably stupid because Lissy wouldn't understand any of it, but she didn't want Lissy to see Sam kissing her. She needed to know where things were headed before she wanted any of that in Lissy's company. When Sam moved behind her she smiled nervously at him.

''I didn't really cook anything, want to order a pizza or something?'' Andy asked him.

''It's like you read my mind McNally,'' Sam told her.

Andy put Lissy on her feet at the coffee table. Lissy started walking around and picked up a toy to play with. Andy moved back into the kitchen so she could order pizza. When she walked back into the living room she saw Sam sitting on the couch. Lissy was standing next to him and held on to his knee while she was playing with a activity cube that was on his lap. Lissy looked very focused at the task she saw in front of her and Sam was grinning down at her.

''Pizza should be here in halve an hour,'' Andy said breaking the silence. She sat down next to Sam and he squeezed her knee. Andy looked at him with another nervous smile and picked up a stuffed toy that was lying on the couch. Lissy saw the toy and quickly took it from her mother's hands. Lissy hugged the toy and hid her face in it. When Lissy dropped the toy she made a noise.

''Boooooooooooo,'' Lissy said. Andy started laughing and Sam looked at her with confusion on his face.

''We've been playing peekaboo,'' Andy admitted. ''Boo is like her new favorite word.''

Sam smiled at her. ''She talking a lot?''

''She's gibbering a lot,'' Andy said. ''She doesn't know a lot of words yet. It's basically mama, ball, dog, boo and bye.''

''Mama mama,'' Lissy said.

''Like I said, she just repeats the same thing over and over again,'' Andy laughed.

''Well, if she looks anything like you she'll be talking like crazy in no time,'' Sam said.

Andy pinched his arm and pointed a finger at him. ''Watch it. She's 14 months old, she doesn't have to know a lot of words yet.''

''I know McNally, was just teasing you.''

They sat together like that for a while. Just talking while Lissy interrupted from time to time, demanding a little bit of attention. Andy and Sam took turns at giving her the attention she wanted and when the pizza came they ate it in the living room. Andy had asked Sam if he wanted something to drink. Usually he had a beer with his pizza, but he wasn't sure about drinking in front of Lissy and decided to ask for a water. By the time it was time for Lissy to go to bed, the girl was completely exhausted. Andy picked up her daughter and took her hand so she could wave at Sam with it.

''Say bye bye Sam,'' Andy said to Lissy.

Lissy put her head on her mother's shoulder. ''Bye''

Sam stood up and ran his hand over Lissy's back. ''Bye Lis, sleep well.''

''I'm going to change her and put her down,'' Andy said. ''Make yourself at home.''

Sam moved to the couch again and put on the TV. Twenty minutes later Andy came out of the nursery and came back with two beers. She handed one of the beers to Sam and sat down next to him.

''I know you probably wanted a beer with your pizza,'' she told him.

''No,'' Sam said. ''At home, yes probably, but I don't want to drink in front of Lissy.''

Andy smiled up at him and gave him a quick kiss. ''Thank you,'' she said. ''It's okay to have a beer in front of her. I usually don't really drink when I'm with her but one beer won't hurt her.''

Sam took a gulp of his beer and put it down on the coffee table. Andy put her head on his shoulder and Sam moved his arm so it was around her. They sat like that watching TV for about halve an hour when Andy moved her hand to his chest.

Sam moved his head so he could kiss her. Andy deepened the kiss and Sam put his hand around Andy's neck. Andy ran her hands across his chest and back while Sam's hands moved across her body too.

Sam pulled back after they had made out for a few minutes. ''You ready to go back out there tomorrow?'' he asked her while his hand was running up and down her side.

''Yeah, I enjoyed my week with Lissy but I'm also going a little crazy without other people around.''

''Sorry I couldn't come by and see you sooner,'' Sam said.

''No, don't worry about it. My dad stopped by a couple of times, Traci and Gail came over and last night we had an old fashioned rookie night.''

''What the hell is an old fashioned rookie night?'' Sam asked her.

''Just the five of us watching bad movies and eating bad food,'' she told him.

''Lissy spent the night somewhere else?''

''No, she stayed here with us.'' Andy moved so her head was on Sam's shoulder again. ''She usually sleeps pretty well and they all love her so it's no problem.''

They stayed like that for a while, when Sam checked the clock he decided it was time to go. ''I'm gonna go McNally,'' he said. He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to spent the night with Lissy at home, so he didn't even bring it up.

''Yeah,'' Andy said. She was grateful Sam didn't ask her if he could spent the night. Under different circumstances it would have been no problem, but with Lissy there she wanted to take things slow.

Sam stood up pulling Andy with him, they walked towards the door together. He kissed her lips and then moved his lips toward her jaw and neck. Andy sighed a little when she felt his lips on the side of her neck, that spot was sensitive and she knew Sam would notice that. Sam smiled and put his lips on hers one more time before he moved out of the door. ''I'll see you tomorrow McNally.''

''Yeah, bye.'' Andy closed the door behind him and got ready for bed herself.

XX

The next day Andy arrived at the station early. She moved into the locker room to change and saw Traci was there already too.

Traci stood up and hugged Andy. ''Good to have you back.''

''I'm glad to be back,'' Andy said. Andy started unbuttoning her shirt to put on her uniform.

''How are you doing?'' Trace asked her. ''You and Lissy okay?''

''Yeah, we're good,'' Andy told her. She wanted to tell Traci about Sam, she really did. She knew she couldn't and Traci would understand when she would find out. Traci kept her relationship with Jerry a secret for a long time too.

''So, I didn't really want to bring this up before with Gail being there, but how are things between you and Swarek?''

Andy was just untying her shoes when her head flew up again. ''What? What do you mean?'' she asked hurriedly.

Traci looked at her with a weird expression on her face. ''You kissed him..'' she started ''And after that he came over to have lunch? I mean, did you talk about it at all?''

Andy knew she was a terrible liar and hoped she could pull this off. ''Yeah, we talked about it a little,'' she admitted. ''But you know, I was emotional and he understood. He was really nice about it.''

''That's good,'' Traci said while she kept looking at Andy's face. ''You sure you're okay, you look a little flustered.''

''Yeah, just excited to get back out there,'' Andy lied.

XX

The first few days back at work went fine. Andy was on desk duty for the first two days, that meant she didn't see a lot of Sam. They had a strictly hands off policy at work, they wouldn't take any chances on people finding out about them. On her third day she was back on the streets again.

She and Sam were cruising together. They hadn't seen a lot of each other over the last few days and Andy had really missed his company.

''You want to come over after work?'' Andy asked him while he was driving.

''That depends McNally, will you be feeding me?''

''I'll even cook for you,'' Andy said. ''Lissy will be there but she is at daycare today so she should pass out pretty early.''

''Well, I never say no to a home cooked meal,'' Sam said.

Andy put her hand on his knee and moved it up a little, she knew they agreed they would keep their hands off each other but she felt like teasing him. ''The company not doing it for you?'' she asked.

''Oh no, I'm definitely going to like the company,'' Sam said.

Andy removed her hand again and sat back on her chair. ''Good.''

''Yeah, Lissy definitely is good company,'' Sam said with a smirk.

Andy punched him lightly. ''Jerk.''

They had a pretty quiet day and when Sam parked the cruiser at the parking lot nine hours later he looked up at her.

''I'll see you tonight McNally?''

''Yeah, I'm going to shower, pick up Lissy, do some groceries and then start dinner, but you can come by whenever you want.''

''Take your time, I'm going to swing by my house first and I actually need to do some grocery shopping too, so I probably won't beat you there,'' Sam said.

Andy made her way out of the cruiser and walked into the locker room. When she finished her shower and was busy putting her clothes back on Gail walked in.

''Andy, we were wondering if you wanted to have dinner with all of us,'' she said.

Andy looked up at Gail and tried to come up with an excuse. ''No, I've got Lissy.''

''So, we'll come to your place,'' Gail said. Gail didn't get the problem, the rookies would hang out together all the time. They had never been bothered by either Leo's or Lissy's presence.

''Actually Gail,'' Andy tried. ''I'm like really tired. I just want to go home and cuddle up with Lissy on the couch. Sorry, rain check?''

''No, yeah sure. No problem.'' Gail moved past her to walk towards the showers and Andy sat down and put her head in her hands. She really hated lying to her friends, but it would be for a good cost.

XX

Andy was just putting a lasagna in the oven when there was a knock to the door. Andy picked up Lissy who was walking around in the kitchen. She never let Lissy unattended in the kitchen while the oven was on.

''Come on baby girl, let's see if that's Sam.''

Andy opened the door and it was indeed Sam standing on the other side.

''Hey,'' he said.

''Hi,'' she smiled at him. ''I just put dinner in the oven. It should be ready in about 40 minutes.''

''Okay McNally,'' Sam said. He moved past her without kissing her and walked towards the living room. Andy put down Lissy and she walked towards Sam immediately.

Lissy walked a little too fast and tripped over her own feet. ''Boom,'' she said when she fell flat on her ass.

Sam started laughing and Andy joined him. Lissy decided crawling would be a safer option so she crawled the rest of the way towards Sam. On her way there she picked up a toy car. She used the toy to ride over Sam's shoes while he kept looking at her.

Andy walked over to her daughter and picked her up again. ''Let's not destroy Sam's shoes shall we?''

''Am!'' Lissy said while she was pointing her finger at Sam.

Andy smiled widely and bounced Lissy on her arm. ''That's right pretty girl, that is Sam.''

''Am!''

''Oh oh,'' Andy said. ''Looks like she has a new favorite word.

''Well, I kind of like it,'' Sam said. ''This way you won't just forget about me.''

Andy blushed and looked away for a moment. ''Pretty sure I wouldn't forget about you either way,'' she admitted.

Andy put Lissy on the floor and joined her. Sam sat down on the couch happy to just watch mother and daughter interact for a while. Andy played with Lissy and Sam noticed how relaxed she looked when she was in her daughter's company. After a while Andy left Lissy alone to join Sam on the couch.

''You tired?'' Sam asked her.

''Maybe a little,'' she admitted. ''It was kind of weird to spent a whole day at work again after taking naps and turning in early for a week.'' Andy moved from the couch again. ''I'm going to check on dinner.''

Sam stayed on the couch for a moment before joining Andy in the kitchen. He looked over the counter to see if Lissy was looking at them, but she was very invested in playing with her toys. So Sam took his chances and circled Andy's waist from behind. Andy jumped a little and Sam put his lips in the crook of her neck.

''She's not looking McNally,'' Sam said. He turned her around and put his lips on hers. The kiss didn't deepen, but it was sweet and innocent. ''Wanted to do that all day,'' Sam told her.

Andy smiled at him and put her arms around her neck. She rested her head against his chest and they just stood there hugging for a moment.

Lissy interrupted them when she needed a little attention again. ''Mama, mama mama.''

Andy laughed and moved to her daughter. ''What is up sweetie, you feeling a little neglected?'' Andy kissed her face and Lissy started giggling. When Andy softly tickled her, Lissy put her hands on her belly to protect herself from her mother's teasing.

Sam just stood in the corner of the room watching the two of them. After a minute he sat down next to Lissy and pulled her to his lap. ''Don't worry Lis, I'll protect you from mommy.''

Andy faked to look incredibly hurt and when Lissy put her arms around Sam's neck her mouth dropped. ''Yeah Lissy, that's great. Just pick sides with Sam over your mother who has been taking care of you since you were born.'' Andy had trouble to keep a straight face.

''Aah, looks like mommy's feelings are a little hurt Lissy,'' Sam said. ''Maybe you should kiss her and make it all better.''

Sam handed Lissy back to Andy and Andy pressed her lips to Lissy's. ''Yay, that's my girl,'' Andy said when Lissy threw her arms around her neck.

At that the timer of the oven went off and Andy stood up. She gave Lissy to Sam so she could get the lasagna out of the oven. ''Lissy already ate so you can leave her here,'' Andy said. ''I can keep an eye on her from the dinner table.''

Sam put Lissy on the ground and moved to the table with Andy. Andy quickly put bread and a salad on the table and came back later with two plates with lasagna on it. ''There's more in the kitchen if you want,'' Andy said.

''I'd like to see how it taste first,'' Sam joked.

''Hey, I'll let you know that over the last two years I totally devoted myself to learning how to cook.''

Andy was silent for a while and sat down. ''When I found out I was pregnant I decided I had to change my eating habits.''

Sam just nodded a little before he took a first bite. ''This is actually really good McNally,'' he told her.

''I know, thanks,'' she smiled.

They ate together and Sam insisted he should do the dishes so Andy could spent a little more time with Lissy. When he was done he moved back into the living room and found Andy on the couch while Lissy sat on top of her stomach.

''So, dishes are done McNally.''

''Thank you, all though I really could have just helped you with that.''

''No, was no problem,'' Sam said. He moved her feet so he could sit down on the couch too. Andy put Lissy on the ground and moved her feet in Sam's lap. She took the remote and turned on the TV.

After an hour Lissy began to cry a little.

''Yeah, it's time for bed sweetie,'' Andy said. She picked up her daughter and moved her into the nursery. Sam stood up with her and walked to the nursery too. He just stood in the doorway while Andy changed Lissy's diaper and put on her pyjamas. Andy picked up Lissy again.

''Just going to brush her teeth,'' she told Sam.

Sam moved into the nursery when Andy walked out. He looked around a little, like the rest of the house the nursery was very simple. When Andy walked in again she put Lissy down in her crib.

''Normally I read to her, but she's already halve asleep,'' Andy told him. She stroked her daughter's cheek. ''Sleep tight Lis.''

''Goodnight Lissy,'' Sam said.

They moved out of the nursery together while they were holding hands and sat back down on the couch together. Andy put the TV on a channel that was showing some cheesy movie. They watched together in silence for about twenty moments when Andy grew bored. She put her lips to Sam's neck and started nipping at the flesh a little.

Sam moved his head and kissed her on the lips. Andy opened her mouth so he could slip his tongue in. Their fingers were tangled together and they made out for a while. Andy pushed at his chest softly and Sam lay back. Andy straddled him and put her lips on his again. Sam's hands were all over her and she enjoyed every minute of it. Sam took her chin in his hand and moved her head a little so he could reach her neck with his mouth. He kissed her neck and pulled down her T-shirt a little so he could nip at her collar bone.

Andy moved back a little and tugged at the hem of Sam's shirt. Sam got the hint and moved his body up so Andy could pull the material off of him. When Sam was lying there shirtless Andy put her hands on his chest again and rubbed up and down.

''I like your chest,'' she said softly while she was tracing a line of kisses back to his mouth.

Sam quickly pulled her lips back to his and started playing with the hem of her shirt. He was silently asking for permission to take it off of her. Andy sat back and raised her arms, so Sam took that as his permission. When Andy was shirtless too, Sam sat back up. He pushed Andy's body back so she was the one lying on her back. Sam kissed her neck and moved his hand to cup her breast. Andy moved her hands over his back enjoying the feeling of the strong muscles there. Andy sighed a little and Sam hovered over her. ''God, you're beautiful,'' he told her softly. Andy smiled and crashed her lips to his again.

Sam put his hand under Andy so he could pull her up a little. Just as he reached behind her to undo the clasp of her bra, Lissy started crying.

Andy closed her eyes and sighed. Sam dropped his head in her neck and gave her a last kiss in her neck before climbing off of her.

''I'm sorry,'' Andy said while she was putting on her shirt again.

Sam put his hands around her wrist and pulled her towards him again. He put his lips on hers, this wasn't like the kisses they were sharing just a minute ago, it was reassuring.

''Andy, don't ever apologize for your daughter needing you,'' he said softly.

Andy smiled at him and stroked his face. ''Thank you so much for everything,'' she whispered in his ear.

Sam let go of her and sat back. ''Go to your daughter.''

Andy stood up and walked towards the nursery, when she calmed Lissy down and walked back into the living room, Sam was fully dressed again. Andy was a little disappointed, but the mood was probably ruined for the night.

''I'm gonna go home,'' Sam said moving from the couch. ''Thank you for dinner.''

''Your welcome,'' Andy said softly.

Sam noticed her tone and walked over to her. He cupped her face and kissed her softly.

''I meant it McNally, it's no big deal.''

Andy smiled at him and kissed him back. When Sam pulled his lips from hers she put her head on his chest. ''Maybe I can get my dad to take Lissy sometime this week?''

''Andy, you don't have to do that. I like spending time with the two of you. We can move slow if you want to.'' Sam didn't want her to feel pressured or feel like Lissy was a burden to him.

''I know,'' Andy said. ''But I was thinking maybe you would like some time with just the two of us too.''

Sam kissed her again and when the kiss stopped rested his forehead against hers. ''I'd like that.''

''I'll call my dad tomorrow.''

Andy showed Sam out and when she got ready for bed she felt butterflies in her stomach. She fell asleep with a smile on her face that night.

XX

_Let me know what you think by leaving a review._


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey you guys!_

_Here's another chapter, I don't really know how long this story will be, I guess it will depend on the interest people take in the story. _

_The reviews I gotten so far really motivate me to keep on writing. (I actually think my English is getting better by it, I hardly have to think to come up with the right words)_

_Anyway, chapter 13.._

XX

Later that week Andy had arranged for Lissy to spent the night at Tommy's place. She had told Sam she wanted to have dinner at home with Lissy alone so she could at least see her daughter for a few hours.

Sam was fine with it and told her she could come over whenever she wanted.

On date day Sam parked the cruiser and turned his gaze towards Andy before he got out.

''I'll see you whenever you're ready okay?''

Andy smiled at him and nodded. ''Yeah, I'll drop off Lissy before her bed time and then I'll come over,'' she said.

They both left the cruiser and stepped into the barn. Separately they made their way to the locker rooms and got changed. Andy felt butterflies in her stomach, she had spent a lot of time with Sam over the last few months, but tonight things were different. They were finally on the same page about things and they would be alone for the whole night. When Andy made her way in to the locker room she nearly walked into Traci.

''Andy, you'll join me for a drink at the penny right?'' Traci looked at her friend with pleading eyes. ''Everybody else is bailing, we'll bring Lissy to my moms and have an old fashioned girls night.''

''Sorry Trace, I can't,'' Andy said. She hoped her friend would leave it at that, but that seemed very unlikely.

''Why you've got plans?'' Traci walked back into the locker room with Andy and sat down on one of the benches. When Andy didn't answer her question and her cheeks turned red Traci started laughing. ''Oh my god, hot date?'' she said.

''What Trace? No, no, no of course not,'' Andy said quickly, hoping she sounded somewhat convincing.

''But you do have plans?'' Traci asked with a smirk on her face. Andy was her best friend and most of the time a stranger could tell when she was lying, so for Traci it was definitely no trouble to find out when Andy was lying.

''I uh,'' Andy started while she suddenly seemed very invested in finding something in her locker. ''I have something I need to do, no big deal.''

''Where's Lissy going to be?'' Traci asked still smiling. By the look on her friends face there definitely was a guy involved.

Andy really hated lying to Traci and she knew Traci was on to her. She lowered her voice so no one else in the locker room would be able to hear her. ''Okay Trace, there's a guy.'' She said quick sounding irritated. ''But I want to see where things are going and I don't want to mess it up.''

''You really like this guy,'' Traci said slightly surprised. ''Do I know him?''

''No and keep up this and you will never get to know him either,'' Andy lashed out.

''Okay McNally, sorry for caring,'' Traci said while she stood up. ''You have fun and I'll see you later.'' Traci's voice was a lot more distant and Andy felt bad immediately.

''Trace, hold up,'' she said. Andy walked towards Traci and looked around to find the locker room mostly empty. ''I just don't want to jinx anything okay. Whenever I'm ready I'll tell you but for now I just have to figure this thing out on my own.'' Andy hoped she sounded convincing.

Traci sighed and gave her friend a quick hug. ''I'm happy for you Andy, seriously go have fun and whenever you are ready to share, come and find me.''

''You'll be the first to know,'' Andy said returning the hug.

XX

A few hours later Sam was sitting on his couch, he felt nervous and that was a rare thing for him.

People always saw him as the cool in control kind of guy and most of the time he was. Except for when it came to Andy. Sam really had tried to fight his feelings, but he guesses now it was a losing battle from the start. She got to him and that didn't happen a lot.

Sarah, Jerry, Oliver and in a less degree Frank and Noëlle, that were the people he had let in. And he was fine with it like this. Sam wasn't the type for long term relationships, undercover work and relationships don't go hand in hand. A life filled with undercover, big and dangerous cases and a position with Guns and Gangs, that was where his life was headed. Only, ever since his last UC, he started doubting that career path. Eight months is a long time to be undercover and for the first time Sam started doubting if this is what he should be doing with his life.

A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. He quickly walked towards the door and opened it.

Andy was standing there and Sam took a few moments to take her in. She was wearing a purple dress that reached her mid thighs. Under the dress she wore black shoes with high heels, her hair was down and she had a nervous smile on face.

''Wow, you look beautiful,'' Sam told her as he escorted her in. He took her coat and put it away.

''Thanks, you look good too,'' Andy told him. She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss.

''Let me show you around,'' Sam said to her. He took her by the hand as he made his way into the living room. ''Here's the living room, back there is the kitchen,'' he pointed to a door. Andy looked around and thought the place looked really good. She was expecting some kind of man hole, but this place was actually nice.

''Wow, looks really good. Wouldn't have pegged you for a guy that has throw pillows on his couch,'' she teased him.

''Yeah, that wasn't my idea,'' Sam said. ''Sarah was suppose to come by my place every now and then while I was undercover to make sure everything was alright. She decided my place needed a little decoration, hence the throw pillows and the decorations on the wall.''

Andy started laughing, she could picture a female version of Sam frustrated with how his place looked. ''I thought your handler always took care of your house and stuff?'' Andy asked.

''Yeah, but Sarah likes to feel like she's helping me,'' Sam explained. ''And some stuff is better off with someone you know.''

Andy nodded in understanding. Sam showed her the rest of the house. After the grand tour Sam told Andy to sit down and he went to get a beer out of the fridge. When he returned and handed her a beer he sat down on the chair that was edgeways from the couch she was sitting on.

''I like your house,'' Andy said. ''It's very you, even with the throw pillows on the couch and decorations on the wall.'' Andy smiled at him.

''Glad you like it McNally,'' Sam said.

''Why you sitting all the way over there?'' Andy asked him quietly.

Sam looked her in the eye, stood up and walked towards her. He dropped down next to her on the couch and took her in his arms. He kissed her gently and let her go after a few moments. ''So,'' he cleared his voice. ''What do you want to do? We can't really go out or something, just in case we run into someone.''

''Just two co workers hanging out together,'' Andy said teasing.

''Yeah, that would mean I would have to keep my hands off of you,'' Sam shot back.

''Well, you're managing that while we're working, so I don't really see a problem there.''

''It's hard enough at work McNally,'' Sam said grinning.

Andy laughed and kissed him again. When she backed away they both rested their heads on the back of the couch, facing each other.

''I kinda told Traci I'm sort of seeing someone,'' Andy admitted.

Sam stayed silent while he kept looking at her, he sensed she had more to say about this subject.

''She uh, she guessed that I was going to see a guy tonight and I tried lying, but I suck at lying so she saw through me. After that I sort of tried to shut her up about it, but that didn't work. I got nervous, acted like a bitch towards her and she walked away.'' Andy met his eyes again and put her head on his shoulder. ''I don't want to fight with her, so I just told her I'm seeing someone that she doesn't know.''

Sam chuckled a little before he asked his next question. ''And she left it alone after that? I was always told women talk about every detail of their lives together.''

Andy laughed with him. ''We do, but I told her I need to figure this one out by myself before going public.''

''Okay,'' Sam told her.

''Okay? You're not mad?''

''McNally, I trust your judgement and she's your best friend. Besides, she can't really judge considering she and Jerry were sneaking around while you guys were in the academy.'' Sam placed a kiss on top of her head and leaned back while his hands started stroking her arms. ''So no McNally, I am not mad at you.''

Andy sighed with relief and quickly pressed a kiss to his chest. They stayed sitting like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Every now and then one of them would initiate a kiss, but things stayed sweet.

''You know you can be really sweet sometimes,'' Andy told him.

Sam tickled her sides. ''Just sometimes McNally?''

Andy laughed and sat up. She straddled his lap so her knees were on either side of his thighs. She kissed him quickly and just once. ''Yeah, you come off as this bad ass cop who doesn't give a damn, but when you let your guard down you're really sweet.''

Andy pressed her lips to his again and worked her tongue in his mouth. She moved her hands over his chest and arms and pressed herself against him. Andy released his mouth and moved to nibble on his neck, Sam ran his hands over her sides and thighs. Because the dress was short he could feel her bare legs when he reached the middle of her thighs. Sam let his other hand drift to her neck so he could pull up her head again. When she responded to his silent request he pushed his lips to hers again.

Andy let her hands drift to his stomach, slowly running her nails over his abs. The fabric of his shirt was in her way so she quickly moved her hands to the hem of his shirt and pulled the material off of him. Sam helped her while she was pulling of his t-shirt by raising his arms. The moment the shirt was gone Andy had her lips on his chest.

Sam kept his hands tracing over her body, exploring and learning it. When Andy sat back to look at him, she took his hands and guided them towards the zipper of her dress. Sam got the hint and slowly worked the zipper down. When the zipper was all the way down, Andy got out of his lap and took a few steps back.

Sam wanted to protest, but then she slowly took her dress off her body. Then she stood before him, she was wearing a purple bra with black lace over it and matching panties. Sam took her in and stood up too. Andy was smiling at him, an insecure smile that he never saw on her before.

''You are so beautiful,'' Sam told her while he made his way towards her.

''Yeah?'' she asked insecure. She knew she was in good shape, but her stomach still had a few lines from her pregnancy. The lines were nearly faded. If you didn't know it, you probably wouldn't even see it, but Andy still felt insecure about it.

''Definitely,'' Sam told her softly.

He slowly pushed her hair out of her face and kissed her again. He moved his hands to cup her ass and lifted her from the ground. She wrapped her legs around him and Sam started walking towards his bedroom. When they reached it Sam slowly lowered Andy on the bed and crawled on top of her.

He kissed her neck and found the spot that made her shiver. When she moved her hands to his belt to undo it Sam stopped her.

''You sure about this?'' he asked giving her one last chance to back out.

''Never been more sure,'' she whispered before all conversation was forgotten.

XX

They laid in bed, legs were tangled together and Andy was lying halve on top of Sam. Andy shivered, so Sam took the comforter and yanked it over her.

''You okay?'' he whispered in her ear.

Andy flattened her hands on his chest and laid her chin on top of them so she could look at him. ''I'm doing really good, you?''

''Oh I don't know McNally, a halve naked woman lying on top of me. Let me tell you, I've had worse moments.''

Andy laughed and put her head down again. They both stayed silent. Andy could hear his heart beating in her ear and closed her eyes. Of course there had been other guys, not as much as people would think though, but with Sam things really felt different.

''When do you have to pick up Lissy?'' Sam broke the silence.

Andy moved her head up again. ''I told my dad I would come and get her in the morning.'' When Andy said it she discovered she sounded a little bit presumptuous. ''Not that I assumed I would stay the night, I can go if you've got things to do.''

''Seriously does your brain ever stop you from over thinking every single detail in your life?''He sounded harsher than he meant it. Andy didn't know what to say and just looked at him with her big brown eyes. ''No McNally, I don't want you to leave.''

''Good, I don't want to leave.''

XX

When Sam woke up the next morning Andy was still snuggled up to him. A small smile appeared on Sam's face as he slowly detangled her from him. He made his way out of the bed. He walked to the kitchen and started making breakfast.

When he had everything ready he put it all on a tray and moved to the bedroom again. He put the tray down on the empty side and walked to Andy's side again. He put his mouth near her ear and slowly whispered to her. ''McNally, wake up.''

Andy slowly opened her eyes and when she saw him she smiled.

''Hi,'' she said.

''Good morning,'' Sam said to her as he slowly kissed her like he did many times during the night.

Andy turned to her back and looked to the other side of the bed.

''Breakfast in bed? Seriously?'' Andy smiled from ear to ear.

''Well, I figured you needed to pick up Lissy soon, but I want to make sure you eat before you go,'' Sam shrugged.

''Like I said,'' Andy started and gave him a peck on the lips. ''Sweet.''

They ate together feeding each other playfully. After that they had a shower together. Sam was already dressed but Andy was still only wearing a towel.

''Sam could you pick up my bag from my car?'' Andy asked. ''I have other clothes in there, can't really go pick up Lissy in that dress.''

''You really planned this sleep over did you?'' Sam said teasingly.

''Jerk,'' Andy said.

''What did you tell your dad anyway?''

''Just that I wanted a night for myself, my dad always tell me to take more time for myself so he didn't ask any questions.''

''Got any plans for the rest of the day?'' Sam asked.

''No, not really. Maybe take Lissy to the park, the weather seems nice for this time of year.''

Sam moved behind her and slowly kissed her neck. ''I wish I could come with you.''

Andy sighed, turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. ''Just a few more weeks and we can do whatever we want.''

''A few more weeks,'' Sam agreed.

XX

_So let me know what you think.  
I'm sort of thinking about making a time jump to speed things up a little, good idea or bad?  
Let me know!_


	14. Chapter 14

_I really, really love all the reviews.  
So thank you all for that._

_Your opinion about speeding it up or not was not really clear, so I decided to mix the two options a little.  
Hope you'll enjoy._

_XX_

Chapter 14

Two weeks later Sam was sitting in his usual spot at the Penny. Over the last week he had spent most of his evenings with Andy and Lissy, so Jerry was really persistent to get him to go to the Penny. Jerry was still wrapping up a few things so Sam beat him there. He was happy to be spending some time with his friends again, but he also really enjoyed the time he had with Andy and Lissy. He felt like Andy became more comfortable around him when Lissy was there. After their first night together Andy had spent one more night at his place, Nash had taken Lissy for the night. All the other nights they spent together, it was with Lissy. He never stayed the night at Andy's, he could feel she wasn't comfortable with that just yet. He also knew her defence was crumbling, yesterday when he got out of bed to put back on his clothes she looked like she wanted him to stay. Sam decided to keep things easy for her and just told her he needed to go home.

When Jerry walked into the Penny Sam signaled Liam for another drink. Jerry sat down and patted him on the back. ''Thanks brother,'' he said.

''Who says I'm paying?'' Sam asked.

''I am, it's your punishment for leaving me alone with Oliver for the entire week and most of last week. What's going on?''

Sam looked at his friend, of course he would figure out that something was going on. He was a detective, a damn good one that is. ''Just busy, you know how it gets.''

''Sarah okay?'' Jerry asked. He knew Sam wasn't someone that would ask for help if he needed it.

''Yeah, she's fine.'' Sam took another sip of his drink and looked back up to find Jerry staring at him. ''What?'' he asked. At that he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he took it out to take a look at it. It was a text message from Andy, he opened it.

_-Pretty sure Lissy misses you. She keeps raising her hands and scream for 'Am'- _

Sam smiled and before he could reply there was another text message.

-_Pretty sure I'm missing you too btw..- _

When he read that his smile grew wilder, he forgot he was sitting with Jerry when all of the sudden he felt someone slap his back. ''What the...What the hell Jer?''

''Sam Swarek smiling over a text message. That I would live to see the day, so who is the lucky lady?''

''Oliver?'' Sam tried. Jerry gave him he look that told him he wasn't buying it. ''It's nothing, it's new so no big deal.''

''No big deal?'' Jerry asked him with a grin. ''Sammy, you're forgetting I make a living by telling when people are lying.''

Sam felt unnerved, it was just one more week before Andy would be cut loose. After that he didn't care who knew, but for now he had to keep it between them. ''Okay, so it's not nothing, but it is new,'' he tried again.

''I repeat, who is the lucky girl?''

''Someone I met a while back.'' Sam looked to the door of the Penny happy to see Nash walking through the door. ''Look Jer, I would appreciate it if this would stay between the two of us okay?''

''Sure thing Sammy,'' Jerry said when he moved over to kiss Traci.

Sam stayed for a few more drinks, Oliver joined them and even Frank made it. For a moment it felt like the old days again, only difference was that now he wasn't going home to drunk to see straight.  
Right now he only had two glasses with scotch before switching to non alcoholic drinks. When he made it to his truck he checked the clock, it was still pretty early so he decided to call Andy.

She picked up after the second ring. ''Hey handsome, where are you?''

''Just got from the Penny,'' he told her. ''Wanted to tell you good night.''

''Mmm, would be a better night if you would be here with me,'' Andy said.

''That an invitation?''

''If you want it to be, sure.'' Andy teased him.

Sam rolled his eyes a little . ''Be there in ten minutes McNally.'' He closed his phone, started the engine of his truck and drove away.

When he arrived at Andy's he knocked softly knowing that Lissy would be asleep already. Andy opened the door with a wide smile.

''Seriously, Lissy won't wake up from a little door knocking Sam,'' she said while she moved to kiss him.

''What? I don't want her to wake up,'' he said softly while he pulled her hair a little so he could look her in the eye.

''Yesterday after you left I went into her room to check on her. I fell over one of her toys and actually cursed out loud, but she didn't even stir. She's always in a deep sleep.''

''Noted,'' Sam said as he made his way into the living room. ''Bomb went off here McNally?'' he asked while he took in her apartment.

''Don't even get me started,'' Andy said. ''I lost my wallet so I had to turn the whole place upside down to find it.''

''Where was it?''

''Between Lissy's toys. Pretty sure she put it there too.'' Andy closed her eyes when she felt Sam's lips on her neck. He kissed all the way up to her ear, just to trace back the same pattern.

''Gotta watch out for that girl. Before I know it I'll have to take her in for mugging her mother.'' Sam opened a few buttons on her shirt so he could reach more of her with his mouth.

''Mmm, I like it when you do that,'' Andy said.

''Good, I'm planning on doing it a lot,'' Sam said before he gave her a little push so she would walk into her bedroom.

An hour later they were lying in bed together. Sam rolled from his side to his back and wanted to step out of the bed.

''Sam,'' Andy started. He looked at her so she would continue, but she didn't.

''What's wrong McNally?''

''Nothing, it's just.. You don't have to leave if you don't want to,'' Andy told him quietly.

Sam looked at her for a moment. ''You sure?''

''Yeah, you're here all the time anyway. And Lissy really likes you, I swear to god she must have called out for you a hundred times tonight.''

''Smart girl,'' Sam said. ''Must take after her mother.''

Sam laid back down and put his arm over Andy's waist. ''You want me to stay?''

Andy nodded and kissed him again. ''Stay,'' she whispered.

''Okay.''

XX

Finally it had arrived, the day Andy would be cut loose. Sam stood behind her as Best described the rookies . He walked by them as he used the words ''Capable, resourceful, loyal, dedicated and courageous.'' He looked Andy in the eye when he used the last word.

Andy had a rough day, she didn't know if she wanted to keep her position at 15th. She almost saw a woman kill herself because she wore her uniform too long. She lost her daughter and wanted to take her own life. Andy couldn't help but thinking of Lissy, would this be her life one day? A life with a mother who could only think and see as a cop, not as her mother?

She thought back to her own childhood, this job had made her father reach for the bottle. Because of that she had a rough childhood. She never wanted anything like that to happen to Lissy, so maybe it was best if she would take off the uniform for good. She hadn't talked to Sam much that day because she was partnered with Noëlle. She did however talk about her hesitation to Best. His speech made her see that it was in her hands, she wore the uniform and she could decide when to take it off. Not only that, she could also decide how she wore the uniform, what kind of cop she would be.

Best handed her the pair of scissors so she could cut herself loose. She looked behind her and saw Sam standing there. He took a step forward and took one halve of the scissors. Together they cut her tie and Sam lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder before stepping away so he could applaud Andy and the other rookies.

They had talked about how to handle things and agreed to keep things quiet for as long as they could. They wouldn't hesitate to go out in public anymore, but they also wouldn't make a big announcement in parade. If people would find out, fine. If they didn't, fine too.

Andy walked towards the locker room with Gail and Traci. The three of them were grinning like crazy and felt like they could take on the world.

''Okay, you know that I love your kids, but please tell me you have the entire night to come drinking and partying.'' Gail asked her two colleagues.

''Yeah Gail, Trace's mother has Leo and Lissy so we're good for tonight.'' Andy smirked and opened the door to the locker room. They stepped in together and showered, got changed and put on makeup.

When Sam walked into the Penny he saw her sitting with the rest of the rookies. She looked incredible and the smile she had on her face made her look even more beautiful.

Sam made his way to the bar and ordered a drink. When he got his drink he made his way to the rookie table, Oliver was standing there too and Sam clapped him on the back.

''Brother, did you ever think the day would come where we would be freed from this,'' Oliver said as he waved around the table. ''I mean, no offence Epstein, but I didn't think I would live to see the day.''

Dov rolled his eyes a little and quickly downed his beer. ''I'm going to get another round.''

''Get me one too Epstein, I did give you a positive evaluation and all,'' Oliver shouted at him.

The rest of the table laughed. Andy looked in Sam's eye and quickly winked at him. He smiled at her and took another sip of his drink.

The rest of the night they spent mostly apart. Sam was sitting by the bar as Andy was playing darts, dancing or laughing with the other rookies. When he turned to look at her she was dancing with Dov. Normally Sam would be jealous if another guy had her in his arms like that, but Epstein seemed harmless enough. From what Andy told him she saw him and Diaz as family.

Another hour later Sam felt someone's arms around his waist when he was walking towards the bathroom. He quickly grabbed the arms and turned around. He looked in Andy's eye, she clearly was drunk.

''You look hot,'' she said.

''You look drunk,'' Sam stated. ''While I appreciate it McNally, I think it's best if you keep your hands to yourself for tonight. Well, as long as we're here anyway.''

Andy pouted at him, that pout turned into a smile. ''Nobody is watching, we could totally sneak into the bathroom together.''

Sam laughed at her and when she almost tripped he steadied her. ''How much did you have to drink tonight McNally?"

''Just some tequila, beer, scotch and Jerry bought me an apple martini.''

''Mmm, you look like you're definitely feeling it.'' Sam had a smile on his face. She looked adorable like this. Her cheeks were flushed, she couldn't keep balance and she kept touching him.

''I am,'' she admitted. ''But I can't help it. I don't drink normally, can't hold it anymore.''

''Let me go use the bathroom and then I'll take you home McNally.''

Her eyebrows went up and that smirk appeared on her face again. ''I like the way you think Swarek.''

Andy stumbled back to the table where Dov and Chris were still sitting. Traci left with Jerry a while ago and Nick came to pick up Gail. ''You guys, I'm gonna go.''

Chris and Dov also had a lot to drink, but Chris wouldn't be Chris if he didn't look at her with a worried face. ''Let us get a cab together, I'm not comfortable with you going home alone like this.''

''NO,'' Andy screamed way harder than necessary. ''Sam thinks I drank too much,'' she pouted. ''He's going to take me home and tuck me in.''

Dov and Chris looked at her with confused faces. ''Tuck you in?'' Dov said with an amused expression.

Andy looked really serious again for a moment. ''He is my training officer,'' she shut up for a moment to think about that. ''No, he was my training officer. It's like his responsibility that I get home safe.''

''Whatever you say Andy,'' Chris said.

Sam appeared on Andy's side again and nodded at Chris and Dov. ''Gentleman, I think this one has had enough for one night. I'm going to take her home so she can go to bed, I suggest you follow that advice too.''

Dov stood up and searched his pockets. ''I'm going to call a cab,'' he searched his other pocket. ''Whenever I find my cell phone.''

Sam took out his own phone and quickly dialled the number of a cab company. He gave them instructions and hang up. ''Will be here in ten minutes. Now you three sit down, I'll get you all a glass of water. If you're lucky it will help with your hangover tomorrow.''

Sam made his way to Liam and asked for three waters. When he came back Andy had her face on the table. Sam chuckled, he had never seen this side of her before. That made sense of course, you don't go get wasted when you have another human being depending on you for everything.

Sam shook her a little and she shot back up. ''Drink,'' Sam instructed as he placed the waters in front of each of them. They all obeyed and ten minutes later Sam escorted them all to the exit. He made sure that Dov and Chris were save in the cab before turning to Andy again.

''So now let's get you home,'' he said as he circled her waist to keep her balanced.

''You always take care of me and now my friends? You perfect or something?'' Andy put her ice cold hand under his jacket and shirt.

''Just looking out for you guys,'' Sam stated. Truth was that he felt responsible for all of them. Diaz seemed like a decent guy and even though Epstein annoyed him more than anything, he knew they were both important to Andy.

Andy fell asleep during the ride home. Sam decided to drive to his place, if he was going to carry her inside, his place was a lot more practical then her apartment building.

Sam gently lifted her from his truck. He had to put her on her feet to open the door, but she leaned into him and didn't really wake up. Sam carried her inside and lowered her to the bed. He took of her jacket, shoes, socks and jeans. He pulled the comforter over her and went into the kitchen to get a bottle of water and some pills. He woke her up just enough to make her swallow two pills that would make her hang over slightly less the next day.

After that he stripped and got into bed with her. The moment he got into bed Andy rolled to him. Sam put his arm around her waist and kissed her gently.

They stayed like that the whole night.

XX

The next morning Andy woke up with a groan. ''Please shoot me,'' she murmured into her pillow.

Sam had woke a little before that and was looking at her with an amused expression on his face. ''Not going to shoot you McNally.''

''Why did you let me drink so much?''

Sam laughed and took her into his arms again. ''Let you? I think I would be up to one hell of a fight if I would tell you what not to do.''

''You do it all the time,'' Andy murmured into his chest. She kept her eyes closed as tightly as she could. ''This was so stupid.''

''Well, we have today off so just take it easy.''

''What time is it?'' Andy rolled over to her back and put her hands over her eyes to protect her from the light.

''Little over 9,'' Sam got out of bed and pulled the comforter off of Andy.

''Mean,'' she yelled. ''I have to go pick up Lissy.''

''Come on, shower and breakfast first.'' Sam took her arm and pulled her up. They walked towards the bathroom together. Actually, Sam was walking and had to push Andy along. When they reached the bathroom Andy moved towards the sink and took the toothbrush she had there. Sam took his and started brushing his teeth too. Andy put her head on his shoulder while she was brushing.

When they both finished Sam put on the shower.

He looked at Andy who still had her eyes closed. ''Joining me McNally?''

Andy nodded and lifted her arms. A quiet request to undress her. Sam smiled and made quick work of her tank top, panties and bra. He let his eyes go over her body and got rid of his own boxers. He pulled her into the shower with him and she leaned into him. They stood together under the water, Andy had her head against Sam's chest and her hands were on his back. Sam had his hands on her back and kept them running up and down.

After a while Sam reached for the soap and used it on Andy before soaping up himself. Andy smiled at him and when he was done she crushed their mouths together. They spent a little more time in the shower than absolutely necessary, but when they came out Andy felt a lot better.

While they were eating breakfast Andy looked up at Sam. ''You got any plans for today?''

''Maybe clean around the house a little.'' Sam stood up and poured himself another coffee.

''You want to join me and Lissy? She loves the zoo and we haven't been there since her birthday.'' Andy looked a little nervous. They had never gone out just the two of them, she wasn't sure he'd be up to going away for the day with her and Lissy.

Sam looked up to her and saw her insecure smile. ''Yeah, let's do that.''

They finished breakfast and Andy did the dishes while Sam vacuumed his living room. When Andy was done she stepped into the living room and gave Sam a hug from behind.

''You gonna bring me to the station?'' she asked in her sweetest voice. She had left her car at the station last night and got a ride to the Penny from Chris.

''Yeah, give me a minute.''

It was quit the tour before they made it to the zoo. First Sam had to drop off Andy at the station, he went home after that. Then Andy took her car to pick up Lissy and they went to pick up Sam again. Then they needed to go to Andy's place to make a bag for Lissy, she needed a bottle, food and diapers. Andy picked her stroller up and Sam placed it in the car. They were finally ready to go.

When they arrived at the zoo, Sam insisted he paid for their tickets, Lissy could go in for free. Andy put Lissy in her stroller and they walked around the zoo. After a while Lissy started fussing in the stroller and Sam lifted her out. He carried her on one arm while the other arm was around Andy's waist.

While they were watching the bears Lissy pointed her finger at the animals. ''Bear,'' she said.

Andy's face lit up and she kissed her daughter's face. ''Very good smart girl, that's a bear.''

''Am,'' Lissy said while pointing at Sam. After that she pointed at Andy and clapped her hands. ''Mama!'' Lissy put her hands out and Andy took Lissy from Sam.

''You're getting smarter by the day sweetie,'' Andy said. Sam took the stroller from Andy. Andy placed Lissy on the ground and Sam gave the little girl a hand while Andy took her other hand. They walked around like that, just the three of them. Sam never thought he could enjoy a day at the zoo so much.

When they grew tired they decided to sit down for a moment. Andy had to use the bathroom and left Lissy with Sam. Lissy was sitting in Sam's lap while she was pointing at things and gibbering.

A family sat down next to them, they were clearly having a family day. The grandmother looked at Sam for a while before she spoke up. ''You have a very beautiful daughter sir.''

Sam swallowed and looked at Lissy. She wasn't his and things with Andy were to new to even think about her as his daughter. Still, somewhere in his mind he could see it happening one day.

He looked up to the woman and smiled. ''Thank you.''

When Andy came back from the bathroom Sam was deep in thought. Andy took Lissy from him and put her in her stroller again. ''You okay?'' she asked him.

''What?'' Sam's head shot up. ''No, I mean yeah I'm fine.''

XX

They walked into Andy's apartment later that day.

''I think I have some leftovers in the fridge and I can fix Lissy something you okay with that?'' Andy asked Sam as they got rid of their coats. Sam put down Lissy on the kitchen counter so he could peel her coat of too. Lissy had a blush on her cheeks from the cold outside.

''Yeah, sure McNally,'' Sam said. He picked up Lissy again and put her down on the floor. Lissy tugged his jeans and looked up at him with big watery eyes. Sam bent down and picked her up again. ''What's wrong Lis?''

Andy walked towards the two of them and gave Sam a hug so that Lissy was sandwiched between them. ''She get's like that when she's tired. Then all of the sudden everything seems like a reason to burst into tears.'' Andy placed a kiss on the top of Lissy's head. ''And you putting her down is probably ranking pretty high on her disaster list right now.''

Lissy put her thumb in her mouth and laid down her head on Sam's shoulder. ''Am,'' she said while she still had her thumb in her mouth.

''Looks like I've got some competition,'' Andy smirked. She tickled Lissy and Lissy laughed and squirmed in Sam's arms.

They messed around for a minute and then Andy disappeared into the kitchen. Sam could finally put Lissy down without tears, so he made his way into the kitchen too.

He wrapped his arms around Andy's waist and kissed her softly. ''You had fun today?'' he asked her.

''Yeah, Lissy really enjoyed herself.''

''Did you?'' Sam asked again.

''If Lissy has fun, I'm having fun.'' She looked over at her daughter who was playing with a fake phone. ''Did you have fun?''

''Yes, felt really good to take you out of the apartment for a change.'' Sam kissed her again and went back into the living room. When Andy finished dinner for Lissy she put the baby in the high chair and quickly fed her. After that she went into the kitchen to warm up left over's from the day before.

When she had everything ready, Andy walked into her living room again. Sam was sitting in the chair by the TV, he had the remote in his one hand, the other hand was stroking Lissy's back. Lissy was lying on Sam's chest, fast asleep.

Andy smiled at the sight in front of her and walked over to the coffee table. She put down the plates and moved over to Sam's chair. She put her hand in his hair and when he looked up she smiled at him. ''Let me take her to bed,'' Andy whispered.

''Can I do it?'' Sam asked.

Andy looked at him and felt her heart grow a little. Her smile grew wider and she nodded. ''Yeah, of course. She will probably stay asleep, but you just have to change her diaper and put her in her PJ.''

Andy walked him to the nursery and showed him where everything was. Sam was very gentle with Lissy, so she stayed asleep. Sam quickly pressed his lips to her forehead before putting her in her crib.

XX

Later that night Andy was lying on the couch. Her head was in Sam's lap and he was playing with her hair. The TV was on, but neither of them was really paying attention to it. Sam moved one of his hands to Andy's neck so he could gently massage it. Andy rolled a little to give him more space and moaned a little when he applied more pressure.

''Thank you for today,'' Andy whispered.

''Don't thank me, I had fun.''

Andy closed her eyes for a moment and just enjoyed the pressure he applied on her neck. ''You are really great with Lissy.''

Sam smiled. ''She's a good kid.''

''Not a lot of guys would be able to handle everything the way you are,'' Andy acknowledged.

Sam hummed a little and kept moving his hands on her neck. ''Did her father ever play a role in her life?'' Sam asked softly. He wasn't sure if Andy was willing to discuss this subject, but he felt like he had a right to know this story if he would be getting more involved.

Andy moved to her back, her head still in his lap. Sam moved one hand to her stomach and the other began to massage her scalp. ''Yeah, I told Mark I was pregnant. Mark and I.. we weren't really serious and we were careful most of the time. Except for one time, that resulted into Lissy. He offered to pay for an abortion, but when I didn't want that he made it clear I was on my own. I send him a text message after she was born, but he didn't want any part of her life.''

Sam could see the hurt on her face. He could only imagine how she must have felt after that. He saw how hard it was to adjust your life to a baby when Sarah first was pregnant. To do everything by yourself must have been exhausting.

Andy broke the silence. ''I don't know what I should tell her when she starts asking questions. Your dad didn't want you? Your dad wanted me to have an abortion? How do you say that to a child?''

Sam looked at her and pulled her up. He gave her a light peck on her lips and cupped her face so she could look at him. ''Just tell her you love her enough for two parents.''

''Yeah, you know that's not going to work for her entire life.''

''Andy, hey look at me.'' Sam tightened his hold on her because he felt her shaking slightly. ''You are a good mother okay? She is better off without him.''

Andy straddled Sam's lap and put her head on his shoulder. Sam wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

''I don't understand how you can abandon your own child,'' Andy sniffled.

Sam knew she wasn't just talking about Mark, she was also referring to her own mother. ''Me neither,'' he softly whispered. He held her until her breathing evened out. He carried her to bed for the second night in a row.

XX

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	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you all so much for the reviews, I read them all and they are amazing.  
Keep them coming please!_

XX

Chapter 15!

Things between Sam and Andy were going great. Sam spent more nights at her place than at his own and on the rare occasion that Lissy was with Tommy, Andy would go to his place. Last night Sam had a poker night with the guys, it ended late and he drank more than he probably should so he went back to his own place.

When he woke up that morning his head was pounding and he heard something vibrate next to his bed. He slowly lifted his head up and groaned when he felt his head almost burst. He slowly lifted his arm to pick up his phone. He squeezed his eyes open, just enough to be able to read the message he just received.

The first message he received half an hour before that, it was from Jerry.

-_We are getting to old for this.-_

Sam felt slightly better knowing he was not the only one with a killer hangover. He quickly removed the message and read the next one.

-_Hey handsome, how's the head?-_

Sam decided to call her instead of typing a message back, at least he could close his eyes again this way. Sam slowly rolled over and hit the dial button.

''Hey,'' he heard coming from the other side of the line. ''Didn't expect you to be up already.''

''Oh believe me McNally, I am not up yet.'' Sam rolled over again to lie on his stomach.

''Why don't you just have poker nights on the night before your day off? Now you have to work feeling like sh.. feeling bad.'' Sam chuckled when she said that. She was watching her language now that Lissy was starting to talk. She made him watch a parenting show one night where a bunch of toddlers knew more curse words than he did. After that she made him promise to watch his language in front of Lissy.

''Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. How are you and Lissy?'' Sam rolled to his back again knowing he wouldn't get comfortable anyway. It was probably best if he would just get up, shower and pop a few pills.

''We are good,'' Andy said with a happy voice. ''All though I did kind of miss a warm body in my bed last night.''

''You did huh?'' Sam smirked.

''Yup, my feet were absolutely freezing. It would have been nice if you would've been there to warm them up.''

''Good to know I'm useful to you McNally.'' Sam slowly sat up and squeezed his eyes close again.

''You will make it on time to parade?'' Andy asked cautiously. Sam was religious about being on time, but with a hangover he might fall back to sleep again.

''Yeah, I'm up now.'' Sam slowly put his feet on the ground and stood up. He scratched his stomach and let out a yawn.

''You know, after I got cut loose my hang over only lasted a few hours. Maybe you'll be lucky too!'' Andy tried cheering him up.

''Not in my twenties anymore McNally.''

''How old are you exactly?'' Andy asked him teasingly.

''I'm going to hang up now.'' Sam said. He wasn't really touchy about his age, but he didn't like the fact that she was much younger than he was. Well, he liked the fact actually, but he knew what people might think. And while he rarely cared about what people might say, he really hated being a '_dirty old man' _

''Hit a nerve?'' Andy laughed. ''Oh no Lissy, don't touch that. Gotta go Sam, before she breaks down my TV.''

''See you in parade,'' Sam ended the call.

XX

Sam was riding with Nash that day, next to Andy she was his first choice. Peck would only make smart ass comments all day long, Epstein would make stupid comments and Diaz would probably bug him for driving over the speed limit even when they would be speeding to a call.

Nash on the other hand stayed to herself, was a good cop and didn't bother him by asking a million questions. He let her drive after lunch so he could close his eyes. When they returned to the barn he actually felt slightly human again.

After his shower he checked his phone. He had one text message from Andy.

-_Don't wait for me, Shaw and I are still on a scene, will take a while.- _

Sam tried calling her, but her phone went straight to voicemail. He knew she was probably busy. He walked out of the locker room to his desk, he might as well do some paper work if she was running late.

After ten minutes he noticed Tommy McNally walking into the barn. He had Lissy on his arm and a bag around his other arm. Sam stood up and made his way over to the old detective. When Tommy put Lissy on the ground she shyly looked around. When she saw Sam her face lit up.

''Am,'' she said while she started walking towards him. She raised her arms to indicate she wanted to be picked up.

Sam looked at Tommy who was looking down on his granddaughter with a questioning expression.

''You know my granddaughter Swarek?''

Sam cleared his throat. He wished Andy was here to tell him what he was allowed to tell her father. ''Yeah, Andy was my rookie so Lissy and I met.''

Sam ducked down to pick up Lissy. ''Hey Lissy,'' he quietly told her.

''Am,'' Lissy said with a big smile on her face. She was going through the phase where she shared kisses with everyone she felt comfortable with. So Sam wasn't completely surprised when she gave him a open mouth kiss on his nose.

When he looked at Tommy again Tommy shook his head. ''She seems to be very comfortable around you for someone she doesn't know very well.''

Sam shifted Lissy around in his arms and was thankful when Nash emerged from the locker room. ''Mr. McNally, what are you doing here?'' she asked when she saw him and Lissy standing there. ''Nothing wrong I hope?''

''No dear, Andy texted me she was running late, but I have an appointment. She's not answering her phone so I actually was hoping you would be able to watch Lissy until Andy comes back.''

''No, of course, no problem.'' Traci looked over at Sam who was still standing there with Lissy in his arms. Lissy had made herself comfortable, she had her thumb in her mouth and had her head between Sam's shoulder and neck. Lissy looked at Traci with her big brown eyes, but didn't show any signs she was uncomfortable with Sam. ''It sort of looks like she's happy where she is actually,'' Traci slowly said.

Sam felt slightly uncomfortable when he felt two pairs of eyes on him. He was thankful when Tommy broke the silence.

''Yeah, I got to go. Everything she could need is in this bag,'' Tommy handed the diaper bag to Traci and moved to Sam. Tommy felt uncomfortable too, normally he would kiss Lissy goodbye, but right now that would look a little weird. So Tommy settled with placing a hand on Lissy's back. ''Goodbye Lissy, love you.''

''Bye,'' the little girl mumbled without removing her thumb from her mouth.

Tommy walked away and looked back confused one more time.

Things started to add up for Traci. She assumed Andy and Sam had disregarded everything that happened after she got shot. But she knew Andy was seeing someone and Lissy seemed too comfortable in Sam's arms for someone she only saw a handful of times.

''So,'' Traci started with a smile on her face, ''Lissy seems to like you.''

''Yeah, guess so,'' Sam shrugged.

''Want me to take over?'' Traci asked innocent.

''No, you go home to your son. I'll wait till McNally comes back.'' That was Sam's plan anyway, now he only had a reason not to do paperwork.

''You sure you're comfortable?'' Traci asked. She never really would have guessed Swarek could be good around kids, but he did seem okay with it all.

''Yeah, go.''

''I actually was going to see Jerry, so call me if you need anything,'' Traci pointed at the D's office. She tickled Lissy a little and caressed the girls face. ''Be good to uncle Sam Lissy.''

Sam nodded a little and moved back to his desk. He opened the diaper bag and pulled out a few toys. He placed Lissy on the ground so she could play with them and leaned back to watch the girl. It wasn't busy in the barn, so Lissy wouldn't bother anyone with her playing.

After a while of just watching Lissy trashing her toys around he felt a hand on his shoulder. ''Did I miss something buddy?''

Sam looked up and saw Oliver standing there with a smirk on his face. ''Where did you pick up a kid?''

Sam coughed and looked back at Lissy. ''She's McNally's. She was with Tommy, but he had plans so I told him I would watch her till she came back.''

''Cute kid,'' Oliver remarked.

Sam nodded and smiled when Lissy walked towards him again. She was clearly getting tired, judging by the blushes on her cheeks and the look in her eyes. ''Am,'' she said when she started climbing in his lap. Sam gently lifted her and placed her on his lap, he pulled her pacifier out of her diaper bag and placed it in her mouth. He knew Andy only allowed the pacifier at bed time, but she probably wouldn't mind now. Sam got Lissy's stuffed animal out of the bag to and placed it in her arms. Lissy snuggled up with the animal and laid her head on Sam's chest.

''She's not shy is she?'' Oliver laughed. ''When Izzy was her age she ran away from you everytime she saw you.''

''You're just jealous she likes me more than she likes you now,'' Sam shot back.

''She's a teenager now,'' Oliver said. ''She'll turn around.''

Lissy moved her hand to Sam's face and poked in his eye. ''Careful Lissy, I actually need those,'' Sam said. He took the girl's hand and placed a kiss on it.

Oliver looked at his friend with amazement, he knew Sam could be good with kids, but this seemed like more than that. ''You see her a lot?'' Oliver asked. Not only was Sam comfortable with Lissy, she also seemed comfortable with him. Plus she knew his name, at her age that probably meant she saw him more than once.

''Few times.'' Sam tried to brush it off.

Oliver nodded and smiled. ''I'm going to change, have a good night brother.''

''Yeah, you too.''

XX

When Andy moved into the locker room she quickly stepped into the shower. She knew she had to hurry, but she felt disgusting. She quickly soaped up and washed herself clean. She grabbed a towel and dried off again. When she walked back into the locker room Traci was sitting on one of the benches.

''Hey, I thought you would have left by now,'' Andy said.

Traci laughed at her friend and pinched her arm.

''Ouch,'' Andy yelled. She rubbed the skin where Traci had pinched her. ''What the hell Trace?''

Traci started laughing again. ''You big fat liar!''

''What? Did you bump your head during shift or something?''

''Oh no Traci, you don't know the guy I'm seeing,'' Traci said in a mocking voice. ''I want to see where things go first, things are so complicated with Lissy, no you really don't know him.'' Traci stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. ''Ready to come clean?''

Andy turned red and quickly opened her locker to pull out some underwear and clothes, she was still in her towel. She knew Traci had worked with Sam today, but she couldn't imagine him talking to her friend about their relationship. ''I uh,'' Andy started while putting on some clothes. ''I'm not really sure what you..''

''You can stop the act Andy, Swarek is the guy you're seeing, admit it.'' Traci still had a smile from ear to ear plastered on her face. ''I can't believe I didn't see it before.''

Andy decided enough was enough. She and Sam agreed that if people would start finding out, they wouldn't hide it anymore. ''Yeah, okay,'' she said. ''It started shortly after I got shot.. We talked about the kiss and decided there is something between us.'' Andy took a deep breath. ''I didn't mean to lie Traci, but were rules and things actually are complicated.''

Traci was genuinely happy for her friend. She knew she had a hard two years, she deserved to be happy. ''Andy, I completely understand. I didn't tell you about Jerry right away either.'' Traci hugged her friend. ''You happy?'' she asked.

Andy sighed. ''I really am. He's so sweet Trace and Lissy loves him and he's really good with her.''

''Yeah I saw that.'' Traci said.

''What?'' Andy asked. ''When?''

''She's here..'' Traci said slowly. ''You didn't read your messages?''

''My battery died,'' Andy said. ''But my dad was suppose to have her, how did she end up here and where is she now?'' Andy immediately felt restless, she hated not knowing where her daughter was and how she was.

''Calm down, she's with Sam. And like you already mentioned, he's really good with her.'' Traci handed Andy a elastic so she could wrap her wet hair in a bun. ''Your father had an appointment and tried to call you, but clearly you didn't answer. So he brought her here hoping I could take her, but she already made herself comfortable in Sam's arms.''

Andy smiled at that thought. She loved watching the two of them, Sam's strong arms around Lissy's tiny body made her feel like her daughter was safe. ''He really is good with her,'' she softly said. ''At first I was so scared that it would be like how things with Luke were, but he is so completely different.'' Andy was silent for a moment before continuing. ''It's like he just knows she's a part of me and accepts that unconditionally''

''He probably does,'' Traci nodded. ''Some guys are actually good guys Andy. I know you haven't met a lot of those, but if Sam is what you think he is, than he is worth holding on too.''

Andy smiled at her friend while she finished tying her shoes. ''I know. Now I'm going to go to my daughter.''

Traci smiled and nodded. ''Andy wait,'' she called out. Andy turned around again and waited for Traci to continue. ''Just one more thing,'' Traci said. ''Is it good?'' she asked while wiggling her eyebrows.

''Oh,'' Andy sighed while she closed her eyes and smiled. ''Heavenly.''

XX

Later that night Sam was sitting in Andy's kitchen. She insisted he tasted a piece of the cake she baked the day before. Andy never was much of a cooking or baking princess, but she learned how to cook when she knew she would have Lissy. Now she was working on perfecting her baking skills.

''Okay, I know it's nothing special, but it's good right?'' Andy asked.

Sam took a bite and nodded. ''Yeah McNally, tastes good.''

Andy smiled widely. She looked at Sam and thought back to the conversation she had with Traci. She really was happy with him, he made her feel special, cherished. She took the plate away from Sam and put it on the table behind them. ''Hey, I wasn't finished with that,'' Sam protested.

''Yes you were,'' Andy said while she sat down so she was straddling his lap. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his head towards hers. Andy kissed him with everything she had, she ran her tongue over his bottom lip and Sam opened his mouth to let her tongue in.

Andy moved one of her hands to the hem of Sam's shirt. ''Off,'' she said. Sam smiled and helped her yank off his shirt.

''Eager?'' He asked her while he was nibbling a line across her jaw.

Andy moaned and quickly pulled his mouth to hers again. Sam had his hands under her shirt but removed them only to take her shirt off too. He threw the shirt behind him and started sucking on her pulse point. Andy ran her hands across his chest and moaned when Sam kissed the place on her neck that always drove her crazy.

Sam smiled and put his hands under Andy's rear. He slowly pushed himself up and took Andy with him. He slowly walked her to the bedroom where they removed the rest of their clothes while they caressed each other's body. They showed each other exactly how they felt while they whispered sweet things in each other's ear and completely lost themselves in each other.

Afterwards Sam was lying on his back while Andy was on her stomach. She used his arm as her pillow and he used his other arm to draw patterns on her back.

''If you get like that every time you bake a cake, I suggest you go and spent more time in the kitchen,'' Sam said with a smirk.

''Ha-ha, funny guy.'' Andy slapped him lightly on the chest.

She snuggled closer to him and Sam rolled to his side so he could face her. He threw a protective arm around her waist and pulled her all the way to him.

''God, my hair is probably a disaster,'' Andy said. She let her hair dry in her bun and Sam took the elastic out of her hair when he wanted to feel her hair against him.

''It looks a little wild,'' Sam admitted. ''But you look beautiful anyway.''

''Charmer,'' Andy smiled.

They laughed and Sam gently kissed her on the mouth.

''So, secret is out,'' he said.

''Yeah, Traci knows, so Jerry will probably know now,'' Andy softly said.

''I think Oliver has an idea something's going on too,'' Sam admitted.

''How?'' Andy asked curiously.

''He might have cornered me one time way before we got together to tell me that rookies are off limits.''

''But nothing was going on?'' Andy said confused.

''Yeah, well he knows the affect I have on women,'' Sam smirked.

''Hmpf,'' Andy made a noise while rolling her eyes.

''Anyway, he probably noticed that there was some attraction. And now he saw me with Lissy and I think he sort of knows.''

''So secret is out,'' Andy said.

''You okay with that?'' Sam asked her.

Andy thought about it. She probably should go tell her dad sometime this week, judging from Sam's story he won't be to surprised either. ''Yeah, no more hiding.''

Sam rolled on top of her, careful to put most of his weight on his arms so he wouldn't crush her. ''No more hiding.''

XX

_A/N. So the big secret is out, please let me know what you think!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Wow!_

_That's pretty much all I've got to say after all your wonderful reviews!_

XX

Chapter 15

Their day had started out like many others did. Andy woke up when she felt his stubble tickle her neck. He kissed her properly when she had her eyes open and she snuggled up to him. When Lissy started crying Andy went and got her out of bed. They woke up pretty early that morning so she brought Lissy back to her bed.

Lissy fell back to sleep on Andy's chest while Sam stroked the little girls back. After halve an hour they had to get up so Andy gently woke Lissy and got her ready for her day. Sam had fed Lissy breakfast while Andy showered and got ready for work. Sam's truck was still at the division, so he got a ride with Andy to work. They dropped off Lissy at daycare and went to work.

Before they went into the locker rooms Sam had kissed her again. In parade they sat in their usual spots, not together that is. Sam was partnered with Chris and Andy was partnered with Gail.  
Andy and Gail had to do a speeding trap, something neither of them was excited about. So Andy's day was slow, like really slow.

She was just happy when she arrived back at the barn so she could get changed, wait for Sam, go get her daughter and spent a nice quiet evening at home. Domestic life was really treating her well these days and she could actually get used to this.

When Andy noticed Sam and Chris weren't back at the barn yet, she didn't think much of it. She and Gail were pretty early, so she would have been surprised if they would have been there. After thirty minutes she grew a little restless, she needed to pick up Lissy and now it looked like she would have to do that without Sam. That wasn't really a problem, but she was really looking forward to a night just the three of them.

Andy tried calling Sam, but he didn't answer. She called Chris, but that went straight to voicemail too. So she sighed, picked up her coat and headed towards the parking lot. She ran into Oliver on her way out.

''Whoa McNally, you in a hurry?'' Oliver asked her.

''Yeah, I've got to go and pick up Lissy. Hey, do you happen to know if Chris and Sam are still out on a call? I tried calling them both, but they're not answering their phones.'' Andy knew she would probably know already if something had actually happened to either of them. Still every now and then she felt like she was 13 again, waiting for a phone call that told her something happened to her father while he was on the job. Only now it wasn't her father she was worried about, it were her friends and of course Sam.

''Yeah, they're busy. Probably will be for a while, Sammy is always really persistent when it comes down to these type of cases.''

''What kind?'' Andy asked. She knew it probably involved kids, Sam always seemed more triggered when something happened to children. She couldn't blame him, she had the exact same thing.

''Rape,'' Oliver said with a hurt look on his face. ''Someone called 991 that there was a girl wondering around the park. Diaz and him went to check it out, turns out the girl had been beaten up and raped.'' Oliver looked up to the ceiling and cursed under his breath. ''Son of a bitch, girl is just 13 years old.''

Andy nodded and felt nauseated. The fact that there were people out there who would willingly hurt other people was hard to understand, but the fact that people could actually hurt kids was beyond her. The thought of anyone ever laying a hand on Lissy was enough to make her blood boil. ''God, people are sick,'' Andy muttered.

''Yeah,'' Oliver said. They were both silent for a few seconds till Oliver spoke up again. ''Anyway, Sam will probably stay in the hospital until the parents are there and he can give them some information. He will probably help the D's as much as he can too, so I wouldn't expect him tonight.''

Andy nodded. ''No, yes of course, I understand.''

''Go to your daughter Andy.'' Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.

Andy walked into the parking lot and got to her car. She drove over to the daycare pretty quickly and picked up Lissy. Lissy was her cheery self, so that took Andy's mind of Sam's case a little. Andy really loved her job, but she loved coming home from it even more.

''Looks like it's just the two of us tonight sweetie.'' Andy placed a gentle kiss to Lissy's forehead. ''What about a girls night with mommy?''

''Mama,'' Lissy said with a smile. ''Izzy,'' while pointing at herself.

''Almost there sweetie, Lissy,'' Andy corrected the girl, she dragged out the L.

''Izzy,'' Lissy said again.

''Don't worry, you'll get it someday,'' Andy said with a smile.

After dinner Andy sat down on the couch. Lissy was playing on the floor and Andy decided to text Sam.

-_Hey, you done at work yet? Want to come over to my place after?-_

Andy didn't get a response, so she figured he was still swamped at work. After she put Lissy down for the night a while later, she decided she should call him again. His phone wasn't turned off, but he didn't answer either. Andy decided she should give Chris another call, he picked up after the second ring.

''Hey Andy, something up?'' Chris answered his phone.

''No, I was just wondering if you got off work already?'' Andy felt kind of stupid, she didn't want to come off as one of those overbearing girlfriends who couldn't leave their guy alone for an hour.

''Yeah, I got home like an hour ago.'' Chris answered. ''But if you're looking for Swarek, he was sort of in a mood after our last call.''

''Heard it was a pretty though one,'' Andy said.

''Yeah, but Swarek was really great you know. He was really good with the victim, but also with the parents. Stayed with them until the doctors told them they could see their daughter.'' Chris paused for a while. ''He was still in uniform when I left, wouldn't be surprised if he was still working actually.''

Andy knew Sam was dedicated to his work. Every case they worked on together he showed her how much he cared about getting justice for victims and their families.

''Okay, you okay Chris?'' Andy asked her friend. Chris was the soft one in their group. Gail was hardened by the things she heard from her parents. There were not a lot of things that could shake her, she heard it all, that's what you get when your entire family works in law enforcement. Traci had trouble dealing with some stuff too, but her childhood hadn't been sunny, so she knew what was out there in the world. Dov had to deal with his brother losing himself to drugs, so he had some battle scars too. But Chris was different, he still looked for the good in people. Cases like this would show him that the world was more rotten than any of them could imagine.

She heard Chris sigh on the other end of the phone. ''Yeah, just sucks you know. She's just a kid and now she has this to deal with for the rest of her life.''

''I know,'' Andy softly said. ''But at least the two of you were there to help her, it may not mean much now but if they catch the guy who did this..''

''That's a big if,'' Chris said. ''Swarek told me cases like these stay unsolved more often than not. Seriously, what kind of people do this?'' Chris' anger was clear by his tone.

''I don't know Chris, I seriously don't have any idea how people live with themselves.''

Andy stayed on the phone for a while longer and when she felt like Chris had talked it through they said their goodbyes. Tomorrow would be their day off so she told Chris he should go and spent some time with Denise. Andy stayed on the couch and tried to watch some TV, every now and then she would check her phone, but nothing came up. When she began to feel tired she turned off all the lights and the TV. She got ready for bed, but sleep didn't overtake her till many hours later.

XX

Sam rubbed his eyes, he was tired and he probably should go home. He knew there was nothing more he could do. He had spent hours at the barn after work hours, trying to connect old cases to this one, trying to see if he could see some kind of pattern. He had come up with nothing, and he felt frustrated as hell.

Once again there was nothing he could do, once again he was completely useless. A girl's life ruined and all they could do was give her parents information about therapists and victim care. Sam felt like punching something, so he stood up and went to the department gym. He put on boxing gloves and started punching the boxing ball. After half an hour he felt completely drained.

He went to the locker room, showered and changed back into his jeans and t-shirt. He checked his phone and saw he had another missed call from Andy. He sighed knowing she was probably worried about him. He looked at the time and came to the conclusion she was probably already asleep. He couldn't deal with her now, she had enough on her plate and he didn't need her worrying about him. For now she was probably better off without him.

Sam took his keys out of his locker and moved towards the parking lot. He drove home quickly and parked his truck. When he walked inside his house he threw his keys on the side table by the door. He kicked his shoes off and threw his jacket on the ground.

Sam walked into the kitchen and poured himself a scotch. Deciding that one wouldn't be enough tonight, he took the bottle with him and went to the living room. He sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV. He couldn't concentrate on the crappy movie playing before him, his mind was taken back to all those years ago.

Seeing his sister crying every night, not understanding what the hell was going on with her. Trying to cheer her up, but nothing seemed to work. When he was older and learned what happened to her, he swore he would do anything in his power to punish the people who did that to her. But they never got caught, so it became his goal to protect as many people as he could.

In a way it was how he ended up undercover. You want to get the big guys off the streets, you need to infiltrate into their lives. He knew he couldn't protect everyone, but at times like these he couldn't help but feel as useless as he felt when it happened to his big sister.

Sam woke the next morning with a stiff neck and a pounding head. He hadn't drank that much, but sleeping on the couch hadn't helped with his head. Sam slowly stood up and went over to the kitchen. He took two Advil's and slowly walked to his bedroom, he stripped down to his boxers and got under the covers. He might as well sleep a few decent hours, he didn't have anywhere to be today anyway.

XX

When Andy woke up to Lissy's crying, the first thing she did was check her phone. No messages and no new text messages.

Andy didn't know what the hell was going on with Sam. The day before they were fine, great even. Right now he wouldn't even answer her calls and she didn't know what she could have possibly done to deserve that. Actually she was pretty sure she couldn't have done anything to deserve that, they didn't even see each other after they parted ways to the locker room the day before.

Andy went to take Lissy out of bed. She slowly got her daughter ready for her day. Lissy was gibbering the entire time while Andy was changing her. Her daughter actually got a smile out of Andy.

Lissy was lying on her back on the changing table and Andy was standing over her daughter, their foreheads touching. ''Yeah baby girl, mommy loves you like crazy,'' she said before pressing her lips to her daughters head.

''Mama,'' Lissy smiled. Lissy threw her chubby arms in the air and threw them around Andy's neck. Andy giggled and took her daughter in her arms. Andy made breakfast for Lissy and herself and tried calling Sam while feeding Lissy, but it went straight to voicemail.

Two hours later Andy decided that if he was avoiding her on purpose, at least she had a right to know that. She got a bag ready for Lissy and decided to go over to his place. Lissy had never been there, so Andy debated bringing the girl to a sitter. A babysitter would also be a better solution if somehow something was wrong and she ended up fighting with Sam. But Andy knew that whatever was wrong, Sam was reasonable enough to not let things get out of hand before Lissy. Besides, this was her day with Lissy so her daughter would spent it with her.

XX

Sam woke up when he heard someone knocking his door. He opened one eye and looked at his alarm clock. It was already passed noon, he never slept so late. He felt better, he quickly got out of bed and put on the jeans and t-shirt that were lying on the floor.

When he walked towards the door he heard another knock. ''Yeah, I'm coming,'' he yelled.

When he opened the door he saw Andy standing there. Lissy was on her hip, the weather was changing so Lissy was packed in a big coat with a hat, scarf and gloves on. Her cheeks and nose were red.

''Am,'' Lissy softly said while a smile grew on her lips.

''Hey Lissy,'' Sam softly said back. ''McNally, we had an appointment?'' He thought it was weird Andy came over like that, she never did that.

''No,'' her voice sounded weak and insecure, she hated that. ''I just thought.. You weren't answering your phone since yesterday and I guess I thought maybe something happened.'' Andy took a deep breath before continuing. ''Just wanted to make sure you were okay.''

Sam cursed himself a little, he probably should have send her a text message yesterday. ''No, of course come in.''

Andy walked into his house and Sam followed her. ''I'm going to grab a shower okay?'' he asked her. ''I just woke up and I could use one. Just make yourself at home.''

Andy nodded, she thought Sam was acting strange. She walked into the living room and put Lissy on the couch so she could remove her coat, scarf, hat and gloves. When Andy turned around to put Lissy's things on the table she saw a nearly empty bottle of scotch. Maybe that was the reason Sam was acting so weird.

Fifteen minutes later Sam came into the living room too. Lissy was on the ground with a few toys and Andy was sitting on the couch. She cleaned up the living room a little, she needed something to do.

Sam didn't say anything when he moved into the living room, he walked to the kitchen, grabbed a water for himself and returned to the living room again. He sat down next to Andy, but didn't really acknowledge her presence.

''Are we okay?'' Andy asked Sam when he shifted in his seat.

''What?'' he asked her confused.

''Are we okay? I mean you didn't answer your phone, didn't respond to my text messages and you don't seem to thrilled to have me here now.'' Andy knew that she was probably handling this wrong, but she needed to know where she was standing with him.

''McNally, we're fine okay,'' Sam didn't sound convincing, he knew that. He wasn't doubting his relationship with Andy, not even a little bit. He was still pissed off about the case yesterday and he was feeling like shit. He didn't need her to know about that, she would only try to take care of him and he was fine taking care of himself.

''Okay, whatever you say,'' Andy said while rolling her eyes.

They sat together in an uncomfortable silence. Andy watched Lissy play and Sam closed his eyes.

''I think I'd better go,'' Andy softly said.

''You just got here.''

''Yeah, well clearly you don't want me here so I'm gonna go.'' Andy stood up and took Lissy's stuff off the table. ''Come on Lis.''

Lissy looked up to her mother and slowly got back to her feet.

''McNally, don't okay,'' Sam said with a firm tone. He didn't want her to think he was sick of her, he was just not in the mood for happy family time.

''Seriously Sam, what the hell is going on?'' Andy's tone was a little desperate. She didn't know what to make of his behaviour. He hadn't even kissed her today, normally that was the first thing he did.

''Nothing McNally, just drop it,'' Sam yelled. Lissy looked up at him with big eyes and raised her arms so Andy would pick her up. Andy bent down and took Lissy in her arms.

''Like I said, it's better if I go.'' Andy put down Lissy on the couch and started dressing the girl for the weather outside.

''McNally,'' Sam warned her. When she didn't stop he took Lissy's coat so she couldn't put it on her. ''Andy, I'm sorry okay?'' he said in a much more gentle tone.

Andy stood up with Lissy in her arms. Lissy looked at Sam with her big brown eyes and Sam felt bad for talking to Andy the way he did. ''I shouldn't have yelled, I'm sorry,'' he tried again.

''You want to tell me what's going on here?'' Andy tried again. ''Because I'm a little lost. Yesterday we were fine and now you're ignoring me and snapping at me.''

Sam rubbed his hand over his face. He knew he could tell her, she would probably figure out sometime if this would go somewhere. ''It's Lissy's naptime, maybe we can put her down in my bed?'' he asked. ''So we can talk.''

Andy nodded insecure. ''Sure,'' she softly said.

Sam's heart broke a little at her facial expression and the tone she used. He made his way over to her and cupped her face. ''McNally, we are okay I promise,'' he bend his head and gave her a small peck on the lips.

Andy nodded again and looked at Lissy. ''I actually have one of her PJ's in her diaper bag, so I'll just go and change her.''

They walked into Sam's bedroom together. Sam threw pillows on the ground, if Lissy would climb off at least her landing would be soft. Andy changed Lissy's diaper and put her PJ on, she put Lissy on the big bed and gave her a kiss. ''No climbing off the bed okay?''

Lissy giggled and kissed her mother's face. Andy laid down next to Lissy and stayed there until she was asleep. Sam was still at the door, just watching them. Andy stood up and walked out of the bedroom with Sam. ''Can we just leave the door open, we'll hear if she's up to something.''

''Yeah of course,'' Sam said. ''She'll be okay McNally, she slept in your bed before too.''

Together they walked into the living room. Andy took a nervous breath and sat down on the couch. ''So, what's going on?''

''Nothing big, I promise,'' Sam told her. ''Yesterday me and Diaz went to a call in the park,'' he started.

''The raped girl,'' Andy said softly. When Sam looked at her with raised eyebrows she filled him in. ''I heard you were out on that case at the barn, I called Chris later to ask if he knew where you were and we talked for a while about the case.''

Sam nodded. ''Yeah, she was just a kid. When you called me I was at the hospital with her parents so I couldn't answer your call.'' Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. ''God, they were a mess, so Diaz and me stayed with them tried to somehow help.'' When we were done at the hospital I tried to look into some old cases, see if maybe I could connect some dots. I stayed till late, but didn't come up with anything.''

''Maybe the D's will figure something out,'' Andy tried. ''We can't solve everything and neither can't they, but who knows.''

''Yeah, maybe,'' he tried to accept her comfort.

''So you were upset you couldn't do anything more?'' Andy asked cautiously.

''I'm pissed off there are idiots who think they can go and touch little girls,'' Sam said with a lot of force in his voice. ''Even if they get caught, what do they get? A few years in jail?'' Sam got worked up again and started pacing around the living room. ''It's wrong, that's what it is.''

''I know,'' Andy said.

Sam sat down on a chair and closed his eyes. ''When I was nine, Sarah was attacked by a group of guys. She got pretty messed up by it and every time I see a similar case I get thrown back to that feeling I had when I was nine,'' he said. ''Worthless, I couldn't even protect my own sister.''

Andy's mouth dropped, he never shared anything personal with her until now. ''Sam,'' she said with a loving voice. ''You were nine, what were you suppose to do?''

''I didn't even understand what was going on,'' he said softly. ''I tried cheering her up by memorizing a joke book.'' Sam chuckled sarcastically. ''It wasn't until later when I understood what happened, I knew she didn't need cheering up, she needed to be protected.''

Andy stood up and sat down on the armrest of Sam's chair. She put her head on top of his and wrapped her arms around him. ''So you became a cop,'' she whispered.

Sam nodded and was grateful she didn't seem to over comforting. They stayed like that until he moved. ''I'm sorry I didn't call you back or text you last night. I was just pissed off and I didn't want you or Lissy to see me like that,'' he said before he gently kissed her.

''I'm glad you told me now,'' she said. ''Is Sarah okay now?''

Sam took in a deep breath. ''She still has bad days, moments where she get's scared of things or doesn't trust anyone. Most days are good right now, especially since she had Jason and Laura.''

Andy nodded, there wasn't much to say. ''Thank you for telling me.''

''Sorry for being an ass,'' Sam said.

Andy stood up again and took out her hand so he would grab it. She pulled him up and moved them to the couch. They laid down together, Sam on his back and Andy on top of him. ''I'm just glad you feel like you can tell me things,'' Andy said while she laid her head on his chest. ''Sometimes I feel like you know all my baggage and I don't know anything about you,'' she admitted.

Sam knew he didn't share much about himself, that was his big flaw when it came down to relationships. He was never willing to share and talk. His life had been messy, no need to go over that again. If he wanted things to work between Andy and himself he had to make some changes, he knew that too. ''If there's ever anything you need to know, just ask.''

''What about the rest of your family?'' Andy asked testing the waters.

Sam ran his hands over Andy's back. Her body on his felt good, he pressed his lips to her temple and put his hands on her bare back by pushing the material of her shirt up. ''Never really knew my dad, met him a few times but never got to know him. My mom died, so it's just Sarah and me.''

''I'm sorry,'' Andy said.

''It is the way it is McNally, we both turned out okay.''

''You really did,'' Andy said.

The lack of sleep overtook Andy after a while. While Sam was tracing patterns on her back she fell asleep feeling totally safe in his arms. Sam didn't mind just lying there with her on top of him. After a while he decided someone should probably check on Lissy. Sam slowly let Andy slide to the side so he could move from under her.

It took him some effort, but he was successful. He walked into his bedroom and saw Lissy was still sleeping peacefully. Sam sat down on the bed and looked at the little girl. After a few moments Lissy's eyes started to flutter.

''Hey sweetie,'' Sam whispered.

''Mama?'' Lissy asked. Her bottom lip trembled a little and Sam knew she was probably scared waking up in a big strange bed.

''Yeah, mommy is here sweetie, let's go.'' Sam picked up Lissy and walked towards the living room. When Sam put Lissy on the ground Lissy ran over to the couch.

''Mama,'' she screamed in a high voice. Andy startled and sat up.

''I fell asleep,'' she stated.

''Yeah, looked like you needed it.''

Andy faked to be hurt and picked up Lissy. ''Is Sam saying mommy looks like crap?'' Andy took Lissy in her lap and tickled her belly. Lissy started laughing and squirming.

Sam looked at the two of them and was just happy she wasn't treating him like glass after his confession. ''No that's Sam's way of saying he knows you didn't sleep a lot last night,'' he said.

''Worked your way out of that one,'' Andy said smiling. Lissy snuggled up to her mother and Sam sat down next to them.

Andy interlaced her fingers with Sam's and he took his other hand to stroke Andy's cheek. He had never told any of his previous girlfriends about his childhood.

Sam never really dated a lot, of course there had been girlfriends in the past, but not a lot. There was a high school sweetheart that cheated on him. There was a girl he dated while he was in the academy and a little after that. He had actually considered asking her to marry him, but then there was a pregnancy scare and they both realized that they weren't meant to be together. The break up was friendly and mutual. After that he stayed single for a long time. Women always showed interest in him, but there was nothing long term in there. Monica and him had lasted for a while, but that wasn't really a relationship.

Sam never really saw himself as the guy who would settle down, he lived for the thrill. Long undercover assignments and eventually a spot with Guns and Gangs, that was where he was headed.

But he was getting older and sometimes he would look at Oliver and feel slightly jealous that he always had someone to come home to.

And then there was McNally, he tried fighting it, he really did. The connection between the two of them just seemed to big. With her he didn't mind spending time inside the house. He actually enjoyed spending time with her and Lissy. He wasn't bothered by the little girls presence at all. Sure, the nights where he and Andy were alone were great, but he actually missed Lissy when she wasn't there with them too.

Lissy grew bored by the silence and shifted in Andy's lap so she could crawl over to Sam. Sam took her in his lap. Lissy sat up on her knees and placed a kiss on Sam's cheek.

Andy poked at Lissy's side. ''Hey, since when does Sam get a kiss before mommy does?''

''Don't listen to her Lissy, she is just jealous.''

''Am not,'' Andy pouted.

Sam smiled and quickly pressed his lips to hers. ''Happy now?''

''Very!'' Andy laughed.

Sam stood up and took Lissy with him. ''I think we should get this girl dressed again and go do something before this day is over.''

They spent the day together, the three of them. They did groceries, went to a playground so Lissy could get rid of some energy and ate at Andy's.

Late that night when Sam was on top of Andy, both of them still breathing heavily he took her face in his hand. ''If anybody ever hurts you or Lissy,'' he didn't finish that sentence.

''I know,'' she just softly said before she pushed his shoulder so he would give her his full weight.

XX

That night Sam woke when he heard Lissy crying softly. Andy was still out like a light, so he got up and went to check on the girl. Andy had a policy about sleeping naked, that didn't happen when Lissy was in the house. She always made sure she would put on underwear and a shirt before falling asleep, just in case Lissy needed her at night.

Sam had on a pair of boxers and sweatpants, he knew Andy felt more comfortable that way. She could bring in Lissy at any time without having to worry about scarring the little girl. Sam went into the nursery and flicked on the light. He immediately saw what Lissy was crying about, she had thrown up all over her crib.

''Hey Lissy, you sick sweetie?'' Sam picked up Lissy and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She felt warm, so maybe she was running a fever again.

Lissy sobbed. ''Mama,'' she said while crying.

Sam walked over to Andy's bedroom and Andy was just sitting up when he entered. ''What's wrong with her?'' she asked while she reached out her arms so she could take her daughter from Sam.

''She threw up, she feels warm too.'' Sam placed Lissy in Andy's arms and turned around. ''I'm going to change her bed.''

''I can do that,'' Andy protested.

''No, you stay with her. Is there another set of sheets in her closet?''

Andy sat back with Lissy sobbing on her chest. ''Yeah everything you need is in there.''

When everything was cleaned up Sam walked back into Andy's bedroom. Andy was still sitting up, but Lissy seemed to be asleep again. Andy was running her hand over Lissy's back in a soothing matter.

''You want me to take her back?'' Sam asked. ''Everything is clean.''

''No, thanks.'' Andy whispered back. ''I'll just keep her here for tonight if that's okay with you?''

''You want me to head back to my place?'' Sam asked. He never slept in a bed with Lissy and Andy together. He didn't know if Andy would have a problem with that. She wasn't his daughter so maybe Andy would find it weird.

''No, of course not.'' Andy said. ''I mean, you can if you want too, but you don't have to.''

''If you're sure,'' Sam said before climbing back into bed with her.

''Sam,'' Andy whispered. Sam looked up to her. ''I trust you with her okay? More than anyone.''

It wasn't an _I love you_, but it might as well be. Sam knew Andy only trusted the people she cared about deeply with Lissy. He slowly nodded and rested his head back on his pillow.

''Okay,'' he said.

XX

Their night was a little less comfortable than normal. Lissy slept through the rest of the night, but not without slapping Sam and Andy in the face a few times.

When they woke up the next morning Andy felt if Lissy's temperature was down, she still felt warm. She didn't throw up anymore so Andy didn't know if she should bring Lissy to her dad today.

''She feeling better?'' Sam asked when he moved to face the two girls in bed.

''I don't know,'' Andy said. ''She didn't throw up anymore, but she does feel warm.''

''Your dad will be fine Andy, he raised a kid himself remember?'' Andy didn't look a lot better after that. ''Just make him promise he'll call you if she get's sicker.''

''Yeah, maybe.''

Andy and Sam had their morning routine worked out so they worked together quickly. Andy dropped Sam off at his place and then brought Lissy to her father's.

When she knocked the door her father opened immediately.

''Hey sweetheart,'' Tommy said. He took Lissy from Andy and placed a kiss on his granddaughters head. ''You okay?''

''Yeah, but Lissy was slightly sick last night so I'm not sure about today,'' Andy admitted.

''She looks fine to me,'' Tommy said. ''I'll call you if something happens, but you need to learn not to worry so much.''

''I think that I'm always going to worry about her,'' Andy said.

''You're a good mom sweetheart,'' Tommy told his little girl.

Andy looked at the clock, she was pretty early this morning and she had to tell her dad about her and Sam. ''Dad, I actually have something to tell you,'' Andy said slightly nervous. She never really had to tell her dad she was seeing someone.

''Something wrong?'' Tommy asked.

''No, actually quite the opposite.'' Andy said. ''I'm seeing someone, actually I have been seeing someone for a while now.''

Tommy's head snapped up. ''How long?''

''A little over two months,'' Andy admitted.

''Who is it?'' Tommy asked.

''Sam,'' Andy said quickly. ''Sam Swarek.''

''What?'' Tommie asked. ''How old is he?''

''Dad!'' Andy said annoyed. ''Does that matter? So he's a little older than I am, I am happy.''

Tommy shook his head. ''I don't know Andy, he's your boss what if he's taking advantage of you?''

''Dad, come on. You know him, he is not like that. Dad I'm really happy okay?''

''He treating you well?'' Tommy asked.

''Yes, really well. And Lissy loves him dad, he is so good with her.'' Andy's face lit up when she thought about Sam with her daughter.

''I actually saw that,'' Tommy admitted.

''Yeah I heard,'' Andy grinned.

''As long as the two of you are happy, I am happy,'' Tommy said. ''But if he hurts you..''

''I know that, anyone who hurt me, you hurt them,'' she laughed while she hugged her father.

''As long as you know that kiddo.''

XX

_Authors Note: Please leave me one of those awesome reviews. _

_I'll see how many more chapters I have in me!_


	17. Chapter 17

Yay, this story has reached over 300 reviews. Thank you all so much!

XX

Chapter 17

Christmas was coming, this meant Andy was giddy with excitement. She always loved Christmas, even in those times where she would spent it mostly alone. There was something about all the lights, the people coming together, people being a little more forgiving. Andy loved it, and especially now she had Lissy she wanted to make something special of it. Lissy was still a little baby last year when it was Christmas, this would be the first year where Lissy would actually be a little bit aware of what was going on. Even though the little girl wouldn't remember it later, Andy wanted to make this Christmas a special one.

Sam was standing in Andy's kitchen making diner. Andy walked up to him and put her arms around his waist from behind.

''You look hot when you cook,'' she said with her face between his shoulders.

''Only when I cook?'' Sam asked offended. He turned around and kissed Andy gently. He had been quiet tonight, he was tired and just wanted to eat and lie down on the couch with Andy.

Andy laughed and kissed him back sweetly. Lissy walked into the kitchen and tugged on her mother's jeans. ''What's up baby girl, feeling a little neglected?'' Andy picked up her daughter.

Lissy giggled as Sam kissed her on the head. ''Go set the table,'' he told Andy. ''Diner should be ready in a few minutes.''

Andy put down Lissy again and pulled out a few plates. She quickly set the table and helped Sam carrying the food to the table.

They ate together and laughed over the noises Lissy was making. Sam and Andy would take turns in feeding Lissy. Lissy was feeling more independent by the day and tried eating by herself from time to time, but most food would end up in her chair. Sam ruffled Lissy's hair when he stood up to clear the table. Andy and Sam worked together to do the dishes.

''Can I borrow your truck?'' Andy asked Sam casually. She knew the truck was his most precious possession and he never let anybody else drive it.

''You want to borrow my truck?'' Sam asked. ''What's wrong with your car?''

''It's too small, I want to go and pick up a Christmas tree.'' Andy said in a tone like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

''You want to mess up my truck with needles from a stupid tree?'' Sam asked. He didn't see the point in decorations and Christmas trees. Christmas was just another day in the year, he didn't get the fuss. Never did, never will.

''Stupid tree?'' Andy asked offended. ''It's a tradition, I want a big tree and a lot of lights and decorations.''

''What do you need stuff like that for?'' Sam asked in an annoyed tone.

''It's Christmas time..'' Andy said. ''I want Lissy to have a memorable time.''

''She is one year old McNally, she won't remember it anyway.'' Sam felt annoyed, but didn't exactly knew why. He just wasn't in the mood to have a discussion tonight, he had a long shift today and he just wanted to crash in front of the TV. The prospect of needles all over his truck and probably a few scratches didn't lighten his mood.

''So I can't borrow your truck?'' Andy asked cautiously. She sighed. ''It's okay, I'll just ask Nick to help me, he has a big car too.''

''Who the hell is Nick?'' Sam asked. He was pretty sure he knew all of Andy's friends but he didn't recall ever hearing of a guy named Nick.

''He is Gail's boyfriend who doesn't obsess over his car.'' Andy shot at him. She was frustrated he didn't seem to care about this Christmas thing at all. Andy dried off her hands and moved back into the living room. ''Some people actually don't worry about a stupid piece of tin.''

Sam sighed, he really wasn't in the mood for an argument right now. ''I just think it's a waste of money. Especially for you.''

''What is that suppose to mean?'' Andy raised her voice a little. Sam and her never really talked about money aside from the fact he knew she couldn't afford to get her car fixed all those months ago. She wasn't rich, but she could definitely afford a Christmas tree and a few decorations.

''Nothing McNally, let it go.'' Sam rubbed his hand over his face and sat down on the couch. He flipped on the TV and put his feet on the coffee table. Lissy was playing with her toys looking up to the two adults.

Andy turned off the TV again, she sure as hell wasn't going to let it go. If he thought she was making irresponsible financial decisions than he could tell her that. She hadn't been paying for much when they went out together, she knew that. But every time they did something together, Sam insisted he would pay. ''Are you saying I'm taking advantage of you?'' she asked.

Sam was taken aback by that a little, that thought never crossed his mind. ''What? No of course not, don't be ridiculous.''

''Oh, so now I am poor and ridiculous?'' Andy asked. Lissy looked from Andy to Sam and definitely felt something was off. Her bottom lip started trembling and she walked towards her mother. ''Mama?'' She asked while lifting up her arms.

Andy bent down to pick up Lissy and walked into the nursery, she needed to change Lissy. Sam sighed and pushed himself up so he could follow Andy into the nursery. He really didn't mean anything with his comment, he was just in a sour mood and wasn't thinking.

''McNally, I never said you were poor or that you were taking advantage of me. What the hell would you be taking advantage of anyway? We almost never go out.''

''I've got a daughter Sam, I told you that I'm not going to dump her with a sitter whenever you feel like it.''

''I know that and I don't care, I told you that a million times already.'' Sam raised his voice now too. He didn't know what the hell her problem was and everything he said only seem to make things worse.

''Still you think I can't afford to buy a Christmas tree? I know how to deal with money Sam, I might not have a lot of it, but I always managed.''

''I never said you can't afford a Christmas tree.''

Andy cleaned the changing table and put Lissy back on her hip. Lissy put her face in Andy's neck.

''Then what did you say?'' Andy asked.

''I'm just saying that I know how much you make. Plus everything for Lissy can't be cheap, daycare, diapers and toys. I just thought that maybe you could use your money better than spent it on a stupid tree Lissy isn't going to remember anyway. But if it means so much for you, fine I'll go and buy you a Christmas tree.'' Sam walked away hoping the argument was settled now, only things just got a little worse.

''Excuse me? You'll go and buy me one? I'm perfectly capable of buying my own Christmas tree, I have been doing it since I was 13. And I already told you I don't need your stupid truck, I'll get Nick to help me.''

Sam sat back down and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt a head ache rising and he knew things just got a little worse again.

''Whatever you say McNally.''

At that his phone rang and he answered it. ''Swarek,'' he paused for a while listening to the person on the other end of the phone. ''No yeah of course,'' he said. ''I'll be there.''

Sam put the phone back into his pocket. ''Jerry needs my help on something.''

''Go,'' Andy said with her back to him. Her voice was low and she focused on Lissy.

''Andy,'' Sam started. They never really had a fight and he wasn't sure what to do now. ''It will probably be late,'' he said.

''Okay,'' she said.

Sam stood up and walked over to her. ''I'll call you tomorrow?'' he asked. They both had the next day off but didn't really make plans yet.

''You can do whatever you want,'' Andy said calm.

''McNally, don't be like this okay?'' Sam really was tired of this argument, they weren't even fighting about something. They were both just tired and lashed out on each other.

''Like what?'' Andy asked in her most innocent voice.

''Fine, be like this,'' Sam muttered. He took his coat and walked over to her. He might be pissed right now, but he didn't want to leave in the middle of an argument. Sam pressed his lips to Andy's temple, but Andy didn't really respond. ''I'll call you,'' he said softly. After that he kissed Lissy and walked out of the apartment.

XX

Jerry noticed Sam was in a mood the moment he laid eyes on him. He needed help hanging a few things in his house. After his divorce Jerry had not been in the state of mind to decorate his house, but now he was with Traci and she thought his house looked like crap. He asked Sam to help him, they had been friends for a long time and Sam knew his way around a tool box.

''What do you need done?'' Sam asked in a monotone voice.

''I bought paint for the walls in the bedroom and I thought we could maybe make the spare bedroom something boyish for Leo.'' Jerry looked at his purchases, he never even painted a wall.

''You want to paint your bedroom at 7 PM?'' Sam asked. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ''You do understand you can't sleep in a freshly painted bedroom right? Plus it will take us a few hours before we actually have all this stuff where you want it. We'll save the painting for some other time.''

''I know, it's just been crazy at work and I haven't had time yet.'' Jerry looked at his friend. ''You alright?''

''Yeah, let's just begin. Where do you want this?'' Sam picked up a shelf.

''Bathroom, Traci doesn't have space for all her stuff.''

The two guys worked together for a few hours. By the time it was midnight Jerry decided they did enough. ''We should stop, we'll finish another time.''

Sam nodded and put the tools back into the tool box. ''I've got tomorrow off, maybe we can finish then.''

''Yeah sure, now you want to tell me what's going on?'' Jerry asked.

''It's nothing,'' Sam tried.

''Sam, I've known you for almost 15 years. Something is up,'' Jerry knew Sam wasn't a talker, but he was his best friend. He practically was his brother.

''Just got a head ache,'' Sam said.

''You got into a fight with Andy?'' Jerry tried.

Sam sighed, his friend knew him better then he thought he did. ''Yeah, we did.''

''What was it about?''

''Jer,'' Sam said in a warning voice.

''What? I've got more experience when it comes down to relationships. I can help you make it up to her.''

''What makes you think I did something?''

Jerry looked at his friend. ''You look guilty,'' he said.

''Well, I'm not. I just said something stupid which she took the wrong way. After that she wouldn't let it go and everything I said just made it worse.'' Sam took a beer out of the fridge and passed one to Jerry too. ''I swear to god, it's like she wanted to pick a fight.''

''What was it about?'' Jerry asked again.

''She wanted to borrow my truck,'' Sam started.

''Oh, I see,'' Jerry said.

''You see what?'' Sam asked getting angry. ''I didn't even say anything about that to her.''

''You would let her drive your truck?'' Jerry said. ''You are really serious about her aren't you?''

''Shut up Jerry, that is not the point right now.'' Sam was getting more irritated by the second. ''She wanted to buy a Christmas tree with it and while I didn't look forward to needles and scratches all over my truck, I didn't make a comment about that.''

''So..?'' Jerry asked.

''I might have said a Christmas tree was a waste of money, especially for her.''

''I take it she didn't take that well?'' Jerry asked. He actually had his share of fights with Traci over money. Traci wanted to feel independent and didn't like Jerry paying for everything. Jerry was traditional and thought the guy should pay for dates and stuff. Now they were trying to make things work by making compromises. Jerry would pay for their big dates and Traci paid for nights inside the house. ''Just apologize to her.''

''I'm not sure she wants to hear what I've got to say,'' Sam said.

''Go home brother, sleep it off. We'll finish this some other time, you take tomorrow to make things right with McNally.''

''How do I do that?''

''You tell her you didn't mean what you said, you tell her you care about her and you take her to buy that Christmas tree and you will look happy about it all.''

''I'm not happy about it,'' Sam said.

''Welcome to mature relationships,'' Jerry muttered. ''It's all about making compromises to make each other happy.''

Sam took another sip of his beer and nodded. ''Nash brainwash you or something?'' he said.

''No, just doing what I'm told so she won't kick me out of bed.''

XX

The next morning Sam made his way to Andy's place very early. He knew she probably would be asleep. He went to her favorite coffee place to buy coffee and some breakfast. When he stood before her door he took out the key she gave him a few nights ago. He was working late and would come by her place later, she gave him a spare so he could let himself in.

He let himself in and noticed the whole apartment was still in peace. Sam checked inside the nursery, but Lissy wasn't there. He walked into Andy's bedroom and saw Lissy was in there with Andy. Sam watched his two girls sleep for a moment before gently nudging Andy's shoulder.

''Andy, wake up,'' he gently said.

Andy stirred a little and her eyes fluttered open. ''Sam? What are you doing here?''

''I brought a peace offering,'' Sam joked when he held out the coffee to her. Andy took it from him and sat up a little. She looked over at Lissy who was on her back with her arms next to her head. She didn't seem bothered by the two adults in the room. ''Andy, I'm sorry about last night okay?'' Sam tried.

Andy looked up to him, she straightened her hair with her fingers. ''Sorry about what?'' she tried.

Sam grinned, he knew she wouldn't make this easy on him. ''I was in a bad mood and I took it out on you. I never meant anything with what I said, you know that.'' Sam kept his voice down, not wanting to disturb Lissy in her peaceful sleep.

''I actually don't know that,'' Andy said. ''How do I know you don't secretly think I'm using you?''

Sam shut her up by pressing his lips to hers. Andy pushed him away. ''Sam don't.''

''You know how I feel about you. You and Lissy are both so important to me,'' Sam tried. He never felt so strong for anyone before. He knew he loved her, but he couldn't tell her that right now. She probably would think he was just trying to get off the hook.

Andy sighed and closed her eyes. She sat up so she could look him straight in the eye. Andy put her hand on Sam's face and caressed his face. ''I know,'' she whispered. ''I'm sorry about last night too, you just pissed me off.''

''I know,'' Sam said before kissing her again. ''Come on, I brought breakfast.''

Andy stepped out of bed with Sam and took his hand. She kissed him again when they were both standing up. ''I'm just going to go to the bathroom,'' Andy said.

While Andy walked away Sam moved over to Lissy. He slowly caressed the girls cheek and she opened her eyes at the movement. The pacifier was hanging out of her mouth and she blinked a few times. ''Am,'' she said while she started sitting up.

''Hey sweetie, you kept mommy company last night?'' Sam asked before lifting the girl out of bed.

''Mama,'' Lissy said while pointing at the living room.

''No mommy is in the bathroom.''

Andy walked out and smiled when she saw Sam standing in her bathroom with Lissy.

''Did Sam wake you up sweetie?'' Andy asked before taking Lissy from Sam.

''Am,'' Lissy pointed at Sam again. She struggled against Andy and lifted her hands towards Sam. Sam smiled and took Lissy from Andy again.

''Looks like she prefers my arms McNally,'' Sam said teasingly.

''Well, they are good arms,'' Andy said smiling.

They walked into the living room together and Sam put Lissy in her high chair. He put breakfast on the table. When he walked into the kitchen again Andy followed him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, Sam hugged her back and they stood together for a few moments.

''I'm really sorry I was so annoying last night,'' she whispered.

''Was my fault,'' Sam said. ''I didn't mean what I said, you know that right?''

Andy nodded and took a deep breath. ''Promise me something. If things go south with us. I don't want them to, I hope they don't, but if they do... don't just walk out of the door okay? Let's promise to work at it.''

''You won't get rid of me without a fight,'' Sam said before he kissed her. The kiss deepened and they got pulled from their own little world when Lissy let out a scream. Sam chuckled and pushed a strand of hair behind Andy's ear. ''I think someone needs to be fed.''

They had breakfast and Sam changed Lissy while Andy showered. When they were all dressed Sam took their coats and threw Andy's at her. He moved over to Lissy and started putting on her coat.

''What are you doing?'' Andy asked.

''You want a Christmas tree McNally, we are getting a tree.'' Sam zipped up Lissy's coat and put on her hat. ''Put on your coat, we're going.''

Andy threw her coat on the couch. ''Sam it's fine. You think it's stupid so I'll get someone else to help me. I don't care, I promise.''

''One, you do care,'' Sam said when he took her coat off the couch and moved to get it on her. ''Two, I'm saying we are getting a tree so we are getting a tree.''

''Giving orders now?'' Andy said teasingly.

''No, just trying to keep you happy,'' Sam said before picking up Lissy. ''Now if you will please hurry, Lissy and I are all ready to go.''

They drove to a place where they had the best trees according to Andy. Andy moved to check on all the trees while Sam followed behind with Lissy on his hip.

''Do you get what Lissy is so excited about?'' he asked Lissy.

''Tree,'' Lissy pointed at the trees.

''Yeah, of course you do,'' Sam muttered.

It felt like 2 hours to Sam, but probably twenty minutes later Andy had found the perfect tree. It was full, big and wasn't actually that expensive. She went to pay for it and took Lissy from Sam so he could get it to the truck.

''Okay, I think you are incredibly sweet for doing all of this. Because of that I will make no comments on how you put this in the truck so you can be as careful if you like,'' Andy said with a wild smile on her face. She kissed Sam before walking away.

Sam just smiled, she was looking so happy that he might not actually care that much about the needles anymore.

After another hour they were back at Andy's place. The tree was standing in the corner and Andy was putting on the lights while Sam was sitting on a chair with Lissy in his lap. They both decided it was probably for the best if Andy would do the decorating alone, just to prevent another fight.

Lissy had walked up to Sam with a book in her hand, so now he was reading it to her while Andy was struggling with the lights.

''You need any help with that McNally?'' Sam asked as he watched Andy struggle with the set of lights.

''Nope, it's going to take some time, but just wait and see it will be perfect.''

Lissy looked at the tree. ''Tree,'' she put her hands in the air in an asking manner. She didn't seem to understand why there was a tree in her living room.

''I know, it's weird right?'' Sam asked the little girl. ''But if it makes mommy happy.''

''Don't let Sam ruin your Christmas spirit Lis!'' Andy said while she looked happy about her progress. ''He's a Grinch, but we'll make him feel the true Christmas spirit too.''

Andy spent more than two hours working on her decorations. Sam had put Lissy to bed for a nap and had to admit he was impressed with how everything looked. Andy had really given everything a lot of thought.

Andy was standing in front of her tree with a smile on her face. Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head. ''Satisfied?'' he asked.

''Come on Sam, admit it,'' Andy said. ''This actually looks good.''

''You look good,'' Sam said before turning Andy's head a little so he could nip at her jaw.

''Come on,'' Andy said. ''Don't you get even a little excited about stuff like this?''

''I really don't,'' Sam said. ''But like I said, if it means so much to you, I'll go and buy you a tree every year.''

Andy nodded and rested her head on his chest. There was something in what he just said, they never really discussed their relationship long term. What he just said indicated he saw more Christmases with her, a future.

''Every year?'' she whispered.

''For as long as you want me too.''

XX

When Andy heard Lissy whimpering she got off the couch to get her daughter. Sam turned off the television and waited until Andy brought Lissy out again.

When Lissy was changed and dressed again Lissy put her daughter on her hip. She walked into the living room towards the tree.

''Look Lissy, our Christmas tree. Isn't it pretty?'' Andy asked her daughter. She bounced Lissy on her hip and smiled.

Lissy looked at the tree with an amazed face. ''Tree,'' she said. Her brown eyes were big and she smiled and clapped her hands.

Sam looked at the two girls in front of him. If this was what he would get for buying a Christmas tree, he would do it with pleasure next year. The look on Lissy's face was priceless and because of that the look on Andy's face was priceless too.

''Thank you for today,'' Andy said to him later that night when they were in bed. ''I know you hate it, but it really made me happy.''

''I think I could get used to it,'' Sam said. ''Lissy definitely seemed to like it.''

''Yeah, I guess she looks like me when it comes to Christmas spirit.'' Andy laughed. ''Just imagine her face when there are Christmas presents underneath the tree. Especially in a few years when she thinks Santa brought them there.''

They were both silent for a moment. Andy's head on Sam's chest as he stroked her hair. ''Can't wait,'' Sam said before he drifted to sleep.

XX

_Authors note: I think this story will have another 3 or 4 chapters. _

_Depending on the feedback I will probably add an epilogue after that._

Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

_A lot of people wanted a chapter that involved Sarah and Christmas, so here you go!_

_XX_

Chapter 18!

Sam had an easy shift, Andy had a day off so he agreed to meet her at her place after work. He showered at the station and found Shaw in the locker room when he came out.

''You had a good shift buddy?'' Oliver asked him.

''Slow day, you?'' Sam responded.

''Yes, seems like the Christmas spirit is taking over Toronto,'' Oliver joked.

''God, not you too,'' Sam groaned.

''What is it brother, McNally trying to get you in the Christmas spirit?''

''I just don't see the point,'' Sam pointed out. ''It's a commercial holiday anyway. People just buying each other presents and family's pretending not to hate each other for a few days.''

''I saw you're working a shift on Christmas. You volunteered?''

''Yes I did.''

''What does McNally think of that?'' Oliver asked cautiously.

''All the rooks have to work on Christmas too, so I'm assuming she doesn't care. I'm just going to head to Sarah's two days before Christmas and I'll be here to work and spent the evening with McNally and Lissy.'' Sam had it all planned out in his head. He didn't have to spent an entire day celebrating, but he would at least see his sister and make Andy happy by having some fancy dinner with her and Lissy.

''McNally not joining you to Sarah's?'' Oliver asked. He knew Sam wasn't one to invite girlfriends over to his family, but with Andy he actually seemed different.

''Didn't ask,'' Sam responded.

''Why not?''

''Because we're in a good place right now, why mess that up by introducing her to my sister?'' Sam asked. He thought Andy maybe wasn't even ready for that, she was pretty mad when her dad seemed to think he was too old for her. In a way he got Tommy's concern, if Lissy would bring home an older guy he would definitely have some questions for him.

''Hate to break it to you buddy, but you might mess it up by not introducing her to your family,'' Oliver said. After 15 years of marriage he knew how the female brain worked.

''How do you figure that?''

''Believe me, if you go to Sarah's to celebrate Christmas without inviting her, to McNally that will look like you're not serious about her, like she's not worth meeting your family,'' Oliver tried to share his wisdom. ''You've been together for a few months now, maybe it's time to take that step.''

Sam looked at his friend for a moment. Maybe he was right, Andy seemed really thrilled about Christmas and she has been asking him some questions about his family lately. She tried to be subtle about it, but was totally failing. She kept trying to bring Sarah up without actually mentioning her name, after he would take the hint she would ask him a bunch of questions. Questions like: Where did you grow up, how old are Sarah's kids, do you see them often, what are they like?

Sam knew she was trying not to push him on talking about his past, but she definitely was curious.

''Yeah well, we'll see. I'll mention it to her.'' Sam picked up his bag and walked towards his truck.

Later that night he was sitting on the couch with Andy next to him. Lissy was a little fussy all night so she went to bed early.

''You working the 23th and the 24th?'' Sam asked Andy.

''Just the 24th,'' Andy responded. ''Why?''

''I was thinking, I'm going to head to Sarah's and I thought maybe you wanted to join me.'' Sam found himself weirdly disappointed that she couldn't make it. He thought he didn't really want her to come, but her meeting his family didn't scare him halve as much as it did with his previous girlfriends.

''I couldn't leave Lissy behind with someone else right before Christmas,'' Andy said while shaking her head.

''Why do you keep doing this?'' Sam asked in an annoyed tone.

''Keep doing what?'' Andy sat back with a confused expression on her face.

''You keep acting like Lissy is bothering me or like I expect you to put her in a second place. If I invite you to come to Sarah's, I mean you and Lissy. You have got to know by now I love the two of you and I know you are a package deal, wouldn't even have it any other way.'' Sam sat back clearly irritated.

He wasn't lying, he wouldn't have it any other way. The fact that she was such a good mom and always put Lissy first made him admire her even more. He didn't have that as a kid.

''You what?'' Andy asked her eyes big like a deer looking in the headlights of a car.

''I knew when I got involved with you, Lissy was part of the deal so stop acting like she is a burden, she is not.'' Sam firmly said.

''You said you love us.'' Andy said softly. She wasn't expecting that from him, not right now at least. She always thought she would be the first one to say it. She had definitely felt it on multiple occasions. She felt it nearly every time she saw him rocking Lissy to sleep or laughing with Lissy over some silly joke.

Sam cleared his throat. He knew he loved her, he didn't mean to tell her that in the middle of an argument. It kind of slipped out without him noticing it. ''You already knew that,'' he pointed out.

''I didn't,'' Andy shook her head. ''You told me you cared for us, you never said you loved us.''

Sam felt really uncomfortable all of the sudden. ''Well McNally, then you know now. So stop acting like I want to dump Lissy somewhere and take you away.'' Sam wanted to get back to the point and stop spending so much time analyzing his words.

Andy rolled her eyes at him. ''You are really romantic,'' she said sarcastically.

Sam sighed and rubbed his face with the palm of his hand. He chuckled a little. ''Well I did just invite you to spent Christmas with my family and me.''

Andy moved over to his lap and straddled him. She softly pressed her lips to his and moved back to look him in the eye. ''I love you too,'' she whispered. ''I think I've loved you for a while now.''

Sam rubbed his hand up and down her thigh. He didn't expect it to feel so good when she said those words to him. Sam wasn't big on words, he thought actions meant way more than a bunch of words people say all the time without even meaning it. But to have Andy tell him she loves him, that actually meant something to him. ''I know,'' he said back to her before kissing her.

When they broke apart Andy took his chin in her hand and angled it so she could kiss his neck. ''I'll see what I can do,'' she said. '''Gail will probably swap shifts with me, she doesn't have any obligations with Christmas because Nick is away.'' '

''Good,'' Sam said. ''I'll call Sarah and let her know.''

''Does she know about me?'' Andy asked. Sam didn't talk much about his family and she wanted to know if he ever talked to them about her.

''She knows some annoying rookie blew my cover if that's what you mean.''

Andy pinched his arm. ''That's not what I mean and you know it,'' she said.

''I haven't talked to her in a while,'' Sam admitted. ''We don't call each other on a weekly basis, we're not that type of siblings. But whenever she needs me, she knows I'm here. Same goes for me.''

''Okay,'' Andy said. ''What are you going to tell her?''

''Fishing for compliments McNally?'' Sam asked. ''I already told you I love you, you would think that would be enough for one day.''

''I'll take what I can get,'' Andy responded before launching herself at him again.

XX

Sam stood in his living room, he had dropped Lissy of at daycare together with Andy. After that he drove her to work and went home to shower. He pressed the second speed dial on his phone and brought the phone to his ear.

After two rings the other line was answered. ''_Little brother,'' _he heard his sister's voice. ''_If you're calling to cancel on me you better hang up right now.'' _Sarah knew her brother wasn't big on Christmas, she was already annoyed he volunteered to work every year. He would always come over a few days early, whenever he wasn't undercover that is. That meant their Christmases were always celebrated a few days early.

''Hello Sarah,'' Sam started. ''How are you doing? I'm doing really good thanks for asking.''

''_Oh shut up,'' _Sarah said. ''_You never call unless you want to come over, or cancel on me.'' _

''Hey, I call you sometimes,'' Sam protested. He worked his mind to figure out when the last time was, but he couldn't come up with anything. ''Maybe not recently, but you never call either.''

He heard Sarah sigh on the other line. ''_I know, we should probably see each other more often.'' _

''We'll see each other soon,'' Sam promised. ''That's actually why I called, is it okay if I bring someone over with Christmas?'' He could actually imagine how his sister would react to that. He could picture her now, sitting on the couch, sitting up when he asked her that question.

''_Like a woman?'' _Sarah asked in a surprised voice. She always wanted her brother to settle down, live a more safe and calm life. She had given up on that idea a few years back. She only met one of his girlfriends and that was probably ten years ago. Sam seemed to be the bachelor for life.

''Yes Sarah, a woman, actually two of them.''

There was silence on the other end of the phone. ''_Who do you want to bring?'' _Bringing two girls to your family for Christmas seemed a little weird for Sarah.

''My girlfriend and her daughter,'' Sam took a deep breath. It was still a little weird to call Andy his girlfriend, it sort of seemed like that label didn't fit. Calling someone your girlfriend felt like he was back in high school, this was just more than that.

''_You're seeing someone? Why don't I know about that?'' _Sarah's voice went up a few octaves.

''Like you already point out, we don't talk to each other a lot Sare..'' Sam sat down on his couch, the few phone calls Sarah and him make are usual pretty short, but this one might take longer. Sarah wasn't much of a talker either, but she always was highly curious to find out about his private life.

''_How long has this been going on? And she has a daughter, how old? What's her name?'' _For someone who wasn't a talker Sarah sure seemed to have a lot of questions at once.

''My girlfriends name or her daughter's name?'' Sam teased.

''_Sam,'' _ Sarah warned him.

''Okay look, her name is Andy and her daughter's name is Lissy. We met at work and have been dating for a few months now. Things are still new and we're trying to take it slow because of Lissy, but things are good okay?'' Sam tried to give Sarah enough information to feed her curiosity. He hoped the inquisition would be done fairly quickly.

''_How old is her daughter?''_

''A year and a half,'' Sam smiled at the thought of Lissy. He actually meant it when he said he loved them both. He couldn't imagine Andy without Lissy, they were a part of each other.

''_That's young,_'' Sarah stated.

Sam knew she probably had more to say about it. Sarah was a teacher and had a pretty strong opinion about parenting. ''Look Sarah, you don't know her story alright? So don't judge her. And if she comes a long you better treat her right or else I'm gone too.''

''_You are serious about her,'' _Sarah noticed.

''I am,'' Sam pointed out. ''So please just get to know her. She's great and so is Lissy, so give us a chance.''

''_I guess I will see them soon then,'' _Sarah said. ''_And Sam, if you're happy then I'm happy for you.'' _

''I know Sarah, thanks.''

Sam ended his phone call and laid back on his couch. He hoped Andy and his sister would get along. Of course Andy wouldn't have to defend herself, but knowing Sarah she probably would think someone with a one year old child dating a new guy wasn't parent of the year. Maybe under different circumstances Sam would agree. Sarah and himself didn't have the best childhood, they didn't have good examples for parents. Sarah was set on being the best parent there was and she was doing one hell of a job, but sometimes she could be a little judgemental towards others. Sam just hoped she would give Andy a fair chance.

XX

They waited until the afternoon to drive up to St. Catherines. This way Lissy would probably fall asleep during the car ride there and the trip wouldn't mess with her schedule too much.

Lissy's car seat had been in Sam's truck for a while now, they usually only used one car to get to work. Now that their relationship was public knowledge Sam would go with Andy to bring Lissy away or pick her up.

Andy was still packing a few things when Sam decided they should get moving. ''McNally, you almost ready?'' he yelled towards her bedroom.

''Jup, be out there in a sec,'' Andy responded. She was getting changed for the third time that day. She had never met a boyfriends family before and to say she was nervous was an understatement. She didn't know what the right look was to meet someone's family. First she decided she should wear jeans, just to come of casual. After that she thought that maybe a suit would make her look more serious. Now she thought that she didn't want to look like she was heading towards the office, so she picked up a purple dress and put it on. Christmas was probably a reason to wear a dress she decided.

She heard Sam's voice again. ''I'm going to put Lissy in the car, you hurry alright?''

''Almost done,'' she yelled back.

Sam picked up Lissy and put on her coat. ''Mommy is nervous isn't she?'' he asked Lissy. Lissy giggled when he tickled her neck. ''No need to be nervous sweetie, everybody's going to love you.'' Sam was actually a little nervous himself.

Sam walked Lissy out to his truck and put her in her car seat. He checked to see if everything was in place. He only had one bag himself, but Andy had two big bags for her and Lissy. They would only be gone for one night, so Sam didn't understand what that was about. He also decided it was probably best not to ask questions about the volume of her luggage. Andy had also put Lissy's travel crib in the truck, they didn't know what stuff Sarah still had from when her kids were little so they decided to play it safe.

When Lissy was al strapped in Sam moved to sit behind the steering wheel. A good five minutes later Andy walked out. She looked beautiful in a purple dress that reached her knees. She was wearing high heels and had a little more make up on than usual. That still wasn't a lot of makeup.

When Andy reached the truck she opened the door and climbed in.

''All ready to go,'' she said. She turned around so she could look at Lissy. ''You ready baby girl?'' she asked.

''Tree?'' Lissy asked. Lissy had actually grew pretty attached to the tree, she could sit in front of it and look at it for a long time. That fact had actually convinced Sam the tree was a good purchase. Lissy's eyes were glistering every time she sat in front of it.

''We'll just leave the tree at home Lissy,'' Sam said while starting the engine.

''It's going to be drama when we'll have to remove the tree,'' Andy said. ''I swear to god, while you were in the shower this morning all she did was just look at it and point at everything.''

''She looks like you McNally, full of Christmas spirit.''

Andy was right about Lissy's sleeping. By the time they were out of the neighborhood Lissy was already fast asleep. Andy looked behind her to look at Lissy for a moment. Sam's hand on her knee brought her back to reality.

''It's going to be fine Andy, Sarah is going to love you both.''

''You sure about that?'' Andy asked him.

''If she sees that I'm happy with the two of you, she'll love you.''

''But she won't love me based on my personality?'' Andy tried.

Sam let out a chuckle and put his hand back on the steering wheel. ''Look, Sarah is not the easiest person to be around. I told her you are important to me, so she will treat you well and when she gets to know you she'll love you.''

Andy let out a breath. ''Let's just get it over with.''

XX

After an almost two hour drive they arrived at Sarah's house. Andy thought the place looked perfect, there were lights everywhere and the house looked like it could be in a catalogue.

Sam killed the engine and stepped out of the truck. ''If you take Lissy, I'll take the bags,'' he told Andy.

Lissy had just woken up, but was still sleepy. Andy got out of the truck too and lifted her daughter from her car seat. Lissy put her head on Andy's shoulder and clutched her mother's shoulders with her tiny fists.

''Come on sweetie, let's go meet Sam's family,'' Andy whispered to her daughter.

By the time they reached the door it had already opened. A seven year old Jason stood in the door opening with a four year old Laura behind his back. ''Uncle Sam, did you bring presents?'' the boy asked his uncle.

Sarah's voice cut Sam of before he could answer. ''Jason, you don't ask people that. Don't be rude, I taught you better than that.'' Sarah moved past her son and gave Sam a hug. Sam kissed Sarah's cheek before she let him go. ''Hey Sam,'' she said.

''Hey Sarah,'' Sam said back. Andy stood behind Sam nervously. ''Sarah, this is Andy, Andy this is my sister Sarah.''

Andy put out her hand so she could shake Sarah's hand. ''Hello, nice to meet you. Thank you for having us.''

''Nice to meet you to,'' Sarah said while she was eying Andy. ''This is Lissy I presume?'' she asked while pointing at Lissy who had her face hidden in Andy's neck.

Andy stroked her daughters back letting her hide for a moment. ''Yeah, sorry she is a little bit shy when she meets new people. She'll come around soon.''

''That's okay, kids get like that,'' Sarah said.

They all moved inside the house and more introductions were made. Andy shook Jason's hand and Laura stood behind her mother's legs while she was being introduced. Jeff, Sarah's husband seemed like a nice guy.

Twenty minutes later they were all sitting in the living room. Jason was playing with some Lego's on the floor, Laura was in Sam's lap and Lissy in Andy's. Sam had put all the bags in the guest room and put up Lissy's crib so they could just put her to bed whenever Lissy got tired.

''Am,'' Lissy said while pointing at Sam. She looked at Laura with questioning eyes.

''Looks like someone is a little jealous,'' Andy smiled while kissing the top of Lissy's head.

Laura moved out of Sam's lap to join her brother on the floor. When the kids were not listening to the grownups anymore, Sarah decided it was time to get to know her brother's new girlfriend.

''So Andy,'' Sarah started. ''Lissy's father okay with you spending these days here?''

''Sarah,'' Sam immediately said in a warning voice. He meant what he said, he would be out of there within a minute if she was giving Andy a hard time.

''No, no it's okay,'' Andy tried to calm Sam. ''Actually, the father is not in the picture,'' she explained.

''How come?'' Sarah asked.

''Sweetie,'' Jeff told her. ''They just got here, maybe you should give them some time..''

''No, it's okay,'' Andy said. ''I get that question a lot actually. The father didn't want a part in her life, so we broke up right after I found out I was pregnant.''

Lissy wiggled in Andy's lap so Andy put her on the floor. Lissy walked over to Sarah and handed her stuffed animal to her.

''That's a pretty dog,'' Sarah said. ''What's his name?''

''Dog,'' Lissy pointed at the dog again. ''Am,'' she pointed at Sam. After that she walked over to Sam and patted his knee. Sam lifted Lissy so she could sit on his lap.

After that conversation went a little easier. Andy asked about Sarah's job, if she wouldn't have become a cop she could see herself as a teacher. She loved kids and she loved to teach people things. She was thinking she might be a good T.O. one day.

Sarah asked Andy about her family and talked about her own. The tone in her voice told Andy how much she loved her kids. Jeff and Sam talked about sports while Sam kept glancing at Andy, looking if she was okay. Lissy and Laura had found each other despite their age difference. Laura was building a tower of blocks for Lissy. Lissy tried to help as good as she could, only to knock the tower down every time.

Andy and Sarah took a moment to look at the kids playing. Sam went out to help Jeff with something in the garage. Sarah looked at Andy's face, there was a small smile on there. ''Is she everything you thought she would be?'' Sarah asked Andy.

''No,'' Andy answered truthfully. ''When I found out I was pregnant I knew I would love whoever would come out of me,'' she glanced at Lissy and her smile grew wilder. ''I never imagined it would feel so strong. I can honestly say that no matter what she will do or no matter what she will become, I will always love her.''

Sarah nodded. ''Yeah, I think every good parent has that.''

''It's amazing, you think you can form her, but she has a whole personality on her own.'' Andy looked at Sarah. ''She really loves Sam, he's great with her.''

Sarah nodded. ''Yeah, I can imagine that. Sam always has a way of getting to people and helping them whenever they need him.''

There was a tone, like Sarah was accusing her of something. ''I'm not using him,'' Andy protested.

''I didn't say you were,'' Sarah said calmly.

''You're implying it though..'' Andy said.

''All I'm saying is that I can only imagine how hard it must be to do it all by yourself. Must be nice to have someone there to help you.''

''It is,'' Andy agreed. ''But that is not what this is about. I never asked Sam to babysit her, I never asked him to pay for anything. I love him and he makes me happy, but I am not using him.''

''Okay,'' Sarah just said. ''Just know he is a good guy and he doesn't deserve being hurt.''

''I know that, that is the last thing I want to do.''

Andy thought she probably should feel offended by Sarah's questions. She was a little bit, but she knew Sarah was only looking out for Sam. In a way she could only love her for it.

XX

When Sam got back Sarah told him Andy was in the bedroom changing. Sam asked her to watch Lissy for a moment and went to the bedroom too.

''Everything okay?'' Sam asked Andy.

''Yeah, Lissy just drooled all over my dress so I'm just putting on something else,'' Andy explained.

''How's Sarah treating you?'' Sam asked. He knew his sister could be a little intense and he really hoped Sarah was treating Andy good.

''She is...'' Andy paused for a moment. ''She is a very interesting person. I can tell she loves you very much.''

''She doesn't trust a lot of people,'' Sam explained. ''Just be patient with her and she'll grow on you.'' Sam wrapped his arms around Andy's waist and kissed her sweetly. ''I love you,'' he whispered.

Andy's smiled widely. This was the first time he told her he loved her after the actual first time he said it. ''Yeah?'' she asked.

''You know that,'' Sam protested.

''I was wondering if it was a heat of the moment thing before,'' Andy explained. ''Like maybe you didn't mean to say it.''

''Andy, come on. You know I'm not big on words but you have to see..'' Andy shut him up by kissing him passionately.

''I know,'' she said. ''I love you too,''

They walked back out to the living room together. Lissy was on Sarah's lap and Sarah was reading a book to her. Every now and then Lissy would point at a picture and say something about it in her own little language. Every now and then an actual word would slip out, but mostly it was gibbering.

''She's good with kids,'' Sam whispered in Andy's ear.

'''She's a teacher, I hope she is,'' Andy chuckled.

''Yeah well, I'm just saying.. No matter how tough she can be around grownups, she lets her guard down around kids.''

''It makes sense,'' is all Andy said back before walking towards Laura. Andy sat down on the floor next to the little girl.

''What are you doing?'' she asked.

''Playing,'' the little girl responded. ''Here's a piece of pie.'' She handed Andy a piece of air.

''Oh, you baked that especially for Christmas did you?'' Andy took a fake bite. ''It's delicious.''

''You are pretty,'' Laura said. She put her hand on Andy's hair and stroked it. ''Soft,'' Laura said.

''Thank you, but I think you are much prettier,'' Andy complimented the girl. ''You've got a very pretty dress on too.''

''Mommy bought it, she says I can't get it dirty.'' Laura pouted a little and Andy let out a laugh.

''Well, good thing tea parties hardly ever mess with your clothes then.''

Sam stood in the middle of the room looking from Laura and Andy to Lissy and Sarah. If someone had told him a few years ago he would actually enjoy a scene like this, he would have laughed in that persons face. Right now there wasn't an undercover operation in the world he would rather do than spending time with his family. Andy and Lissy were that now, family.

The entire family ate dinner together. Lissy sat on Andy or Sam's laps, every now and then they would trade so they could actually eat some of the food without having to attend to Lissy first. Sarah kept looking at her brother and Andy. She could see the two of them had chemistry, it also was clear that Lissy and Sam were totally comfortable around each other.

After dinner everybody sat down in the living room. They talked some more and when Lissy yawned Andy stood up to bring her to bed. Laura wanted to help Andy with preparing Lissy for bed, so she went with her. When Andy laid Lissy down on the guest bed to change her diaper, Laura sat down next to Lissy.

''Is uncle Sam Lissy's daddy?'' Laura asked Andy.

Andy's head snapped up. She didn't really know how to answer that question to a four year old child. Andy continued changing Lissy's diaper and shook her head a little. ''No, he is not,'' she said.

''Oh,'' Laura said. ''If uncle Sam has a baby, will it be my cousin?''

''Yes, it will,'' Andy confirmed. Her mind drifted to that picture for a moment. Sam holding a new born baby in his strong arms, she shook her head trying to get rid of that image. It was way to soon to go there.

''I hope he will have a baby,'' Laura said. ''I want someone to play with, Jason always says I'm too young.''

''Lissy was here today right?'' Andy tried. Laura seemed pretty happy about her new best friend earlier.

''Will she come next time too?'' Laura asked.

''I hope so sweetie,'' Andy said. She lifted Lissy off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. She brushed Lissy's teeth while Laura asked her more questions. All the new questions were a lot easier to answer.

''What are you going to do now?'' Laura asked.

Andy smiled and put Lissy on the big bed. ''I'm just going to read a story to her before I put her down. You want to join us?''

Laura nodded and crawled on the bed too. She sat down next to Andy and put her head on her arm. Lissy was on Andy's lap. Andy brought a book from home and read the girls a story. When she was nearing the end of the story Sarah appeared in the doorway, she wanted to see if Laura was costing Andy any trouble. Sarah stood there watching the tree of them until the story was over. Laura crawled over to Lissy and gave her a kiss. After that she gave Andy a hug and jumped of the bed.

''She's not giving you any trouble is she?'' Sarah asked Andy.

''No, not at all, she's great,'' Andy said while standing up. She laid Lissy down in the crib and moved to turn off the lights. ''Sleep well sweetie, mommy loves you.''

Andy and Sarah moved out of the bedroom together. They went into the living room and watched TV with the rest of the family. When all the kids went to bed they put some gifts under the tree, there weren't a lot of gifts. Andy and Sam had bought the kids a few presents, just like Sarah and Jeff did. The big gifts would come on the real Christmas morning. Jason's believe in Santa was already gone, but Laura was still a big believer.

Around midnight everybody said their goodnights and moved into their own bedrooms. When Andy and Sam were in bed with Lissy sleeping next to their bed, Sam turned to face Andy.

''So, you happy you came along?'' he asked her.

''Yeah, I actually am,'' she admitted. ''I have to admit I was a little afraid of Sarah at first, but I think she might see now that I'm not some lonely mother trying to get you to babysit for free.''

Sam laughed. ''Yeah, she probably was concerned about that for a while there. I know she can come of a little strong, but she actually is a good person. She just has issues trusting people, it will probably be a while before she lets you in completely. I think Jeff actually had to wait a year before she went out with him.''

''That's commitment,'' Andy laughed. ''It's really okay though. I know she just has your best interest at heart, so I can't really be pissed about that. Besides, with her past it's probably only natural she doesn't let her guard down easy.''

Sam didn't respond to that but just pressed a kiss to Andy's temple. ''Try to sleep,'' he murmured.

XX

Sam woke up around three AM. He was thirsty, got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. There were lights on and Sarah was sitting at the counter with a glass of water before her.

''Can't sleep?'' Sam asked.

''Just thinking,'' Sarah said. ''You can't sleep?''

''Just thinking,'' Sam smiled. He walked towards the fridge, pulled out another water bottle and sat down next to Sarah. ''How you doing?'' he asked.

''We're good,'' Sarah smiled. ''Kids are happy, so we're happy.'' Sarah was silent for a moment and looked at her brother. ''You love her,'' she said.

Sam looked up and eyed his sister. He waited a few moments before he slowly nodded. ''Yeah, I do,'' he said slowly.

''You love Lissy too,'' Sarah said. It wasn't a question, it was an observation. She had watched how her brother acted around Lissy, he was caring and sweet. Lissy seemed crazy about him too, so Sarah guessed the two of them had actually spent more time together then she thought at first. ''Sam, I know you don't want to hear this, but please just be careful.''

''Sarah,'' Sam warned. She was right, whatever she had to say, he didn't want to hear.

''No, just hear me out for a moment okay?'' Sarah waited until Sam looked at her again. ''I'm not saying this to piss you off, I'm just trying to look out for you.''

''I don't need you to look out for me, I'm a grown man I can take care of myself,'' Sam said. He knew Sarah and himself had spent their entire lives looking out for each other, but his relationship with Andy was off limits.

''Sam, just try to realize what you are getting yourself into here,'' Sarah tried. She wanted to protect her baby brother from the possible heart ache. ''Things are going good right now, but what if they go downhill?''

''We'll deal with it,'' Sam said. ''I know you always try to think of every possible outcome in a situation, but I'm not like that okay? I'm not going to sit around and think about how many things can go wrong, some people just want to live their lives without living in constant fear.''

''That's not fair,'' Sarah said. ''And it's also not what I mean. I'm just trying to say, what if things between you and Andy don't work out? You've got no rights when it comes down to Lissy what so ever.''

''I'm not her father,'' Sam said.

''But you are acting like you are,'' Sarah said.

''What do you want me to do Sarah? End the best thing that happened to me in a long time because maybe, sometime it could hurt me?''

''I'm just asking you to be careful, but by the looks of it that's already too late.''

''Yeah, it kind of is,'' Sam said in an annoyed tone.

''I'm not trying to piss you off,'' Sarah stated.

''You're not doing a very good job,'' Sam said while looking his sister in the eye.

''I'm really just trying to look out for you,'' Sarah said again.

''I know Sarah, but I got it under control, thank you.'' Sam tried to end the discussion. He knew he wasn't being completely fair. When Sarah brought Jeff to meet him for the first time, he might have done a complete background check on him behind her back. ''Do you like her?'' Sam asked. Even though he said he doesn't care, he wants his sister to like Andy. Sarah had been the most important person in his life for a very long time, her opinion matters to him.

''I think she's really young,'' Sarah started. ''But I can also see she has been through a lot, so she's probably more mature than most people her age. She loves her daughter, that's obvious.'' Sarah paused for a moment and took a deep breath. ''I think if you put all the complicated stuff aside, you've got a pretty good thing going on with her. At first I was sceptical, but she really does seem to love you.''

Sam just nodded, he was happy Sarah wasn't just negative. The most important thing right now was that they loved each other, all the other stuff were things to worry about in the future.

XX

The next morning was comfortable for everyone. Sarah and Sam had gone to bed in peace the night before, knowing they both just had each other's best interest at heart. Sam would probably act the same way if the roles were reverse, so he couldn't be to pissed at Sarah.

The kids unwrapped their presents. Andy had bought them some board games, a choice that impressed Sarah. For Lissy there were some small toys to unwrap, Sarah had bought her a big puzzle and a music box. Sam had bought his niece a book and a doll, for Jason he had bought a game and some trucks to play with.

Around noon Andy and Sam decided it was time to hit the road again. Everybody said their goodbyes and Sarah wrapped Andy in a hug.

''You take care of my brother for me,'' Sarah whispered. ''He doesn't always show it, but he needs people around.''

''I know,'' Andy just said before letting go of Sarah. Sam had watched the little conversation with amazement. As sceptical as Sarah was last night, she was warm right now. Andy had done a good job with tearing down her walls.

When they were back in Toronto Andy carried in Lissy and Sam took the bags again. When everything was back in place Lissy was sitting on Sam's lap while Andy was doing laundry.

''What's up sweetie?'' Sam asked when Lissy started fussing.

''Mama,'' Lissy demanded.

''Mommy is busy.'' Sam sat back and pulled Lissy to his chest. Andy had already told him Lissy didn't deal with change very well. She had a tight internal schedule and could get a little difficult if someone would somehow mess that up. After a while Lissy relaxed in Sam's arms and put her head down on his chest.

''Am,'' she said. ''Kiss,'' she reached up so she could kiss Sam's nose with an open mouth. Sam chuckled and whipped his nose dry.

''That's nice Lis,'' he said. Lissy laid her head on his chest again and Sam stroked her back. After a while he laid back on the couch too, he hadn't slept much that night and felt incredibly tired.

When Andy walked into the living room she saw Sam sleeping on the couch, Lissy was on his chest and their breathing was completely in sync. Sam had his arms over Lissy in a protective way. Andy quickly pulled her camera out of her bag and snapped a few pictures. She took Lissy out of Sam's arms and put her in the nursery. An hour later Sam woke up.

He sat up and looked at Andy. ''Lissy,'' he said. ''Where is she?''

''She's still asleep, you fell asleep in each other's arms. It actually was very cute,'' Andy smiled.

''I didn't even notice you taking her from me,'' Sam said guilty.

''Don't worry, I'm sure that if it was someone trying to do harm, you would have woken up. I actually believe people can sense stuff like that.''

Sam laughed. ''Of course you believe stuff like that,'' he muttered.

After Lissy woke up they went to take a walk with her. The weather wasn't that bad for December, so they could go out without freezing. Sam made dinner for them that night and he brought Lissy to Tommy's before her bedtime. Andy and Sam both had an early shift, so they agreed Lissy would spent the night at her grandfather's place. Sam agreed to take Lissy to Tommy's because Andy said she had a few things she needed to do.

When he walked back into her apartment, Andy was gone. He could hear the shower running, so he knew where she was. Sam sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV, there probably would be a good game on somewhere. After fifteen minutes he heard Andy's blow dryer.

When she came out in her bathrobe Sam didn't even look up, he was totally focused on the game.

''Sam?'' Andy asked.

''Yeah?'' Sam said without looking at her.

''I actually got you something for Christmas,'' Andy said.

Sam looked at her shook his head. ''Okay, we're doing gifts tomorrow right?''

''Yes, but I got you one for tonight too.''

''Okay, what is it?'' Sam asked still not really getting what Andy was doing.

''You want me to unwrap it for you?'' Andy asked.

''Andy, what is it? If you want to unwrap it, unwrap it.''

Andy slowly loosened the belt that held up her bathrobe. When she dropped it to the floor she stood before him in a black lace teddy.

Sam's mouth felt dry all of the sudden. He swallowed to water his throat again. He slowly nodded. ''I like it,'' he said in a very low voice.

''Good, I got it for you,'' Andy said smiling. She was thinking this would get a reaction out of him. Her normal lingerie choice was a little boring, she mostly chose comfort over fashion. Especially with her job it was important to be able to move freely. But for this occasion she went out and bought something a little more spicy.

Sam slowly stood up and pulled Andy to him so their bodies were flush up each other. ''God, you're so beautiful,'' he told her. Sam took her chin in his hand and lifted it so he could kiss her properly.

His hand slowly drifted down and he cupped her breast over the material of the lingerie. Andy's hands went to the hem of his shirt and pushed the material up. Sam lifted his arms so she could get rid of his shirt as quickly as possible. When the shirt was gone he put his hands on Andy's rear and pushed her up. Andy's legs went across his waist and Sam started walking towards the bedroom.

He stopped when he reached the wall next to the bedroom, he pushed Andy up on to the wall and attacked her neck with his mouth. Andy moved her head to give him better access to her neck.

Andy moaned his name when Sam softly bit her neck. She put her hand on his face and dragged his mouth to hers again.

''Sam, bedroom,'' she muttered against his mouth.

At that Sam started walking again, this time he did reach the bedroom. He gently lowered her until she was on her back on the bed. Andy's hands went towards Sam's belt and she got rid of it while Sam just looked at her and took her all in.

''I love you,'' Andy said before she flicked the button of his jeans open.

Sam started smiling and helped her pull of his jeans. ''Best Christmas gift ever,'' he said before he crashed their mouths together again.

XX

_Authors note: Longest chapter I wrote so far.  
Please let me know what you think of it!_

_Don't be too hard on Sarah, she doesn't know Andy and doesn't want to see her baby brother get hurt. To me it makes sense!_


	19. Chapter 19

_Can't believe I'm already at chapter 19!_

_When I started this I thought it would have like 10 chapters max._

_But I'm pretty sure we're nearing the end.._

_XX_

Chapter 19!

Andy woke up with a big smile on her face. She opened one eye and saw her alarm clock wouldn't go off for at least ten more minutes so she snuggled closer to Sam. When she moved closer he wrapped his arm around her waist. She knew he probably would be awake already, he always woke up before her. He was a morning person by nature, the only reason Andy was always awake so early was Lissy. Before she had her she loved to sleep late.

''Merry Christmas,'' Andy smiled and kissed Sam on the lips.

Over the last few weeks Sam's Christmas spirit had improved a lot so she actually got a smile out of him. ''Good morning,'' Sam said to her.

''No merry Christmas for me?'' Andy pouted. She shrieked when Sam rolled her on her back and pinned her underneath him. He attacked her neck with his mouth and trailed a trace from her neck to her collarbone. '

''Merry Christmas sweetheart,'' Sam said before he kissed her lazily.

''You never call me sweetheart,'' Andy protested, but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. They were in a really good place right now and Andy couldn't remember a time in her life where everything was so right. Her father was sober, she loved Sam and he loved her back, Lissy was doing good and that meant Andy was doing good too.

''Well, there's a first time for everything,'' Sam said. He moved one hand to Andy's hair and rolled back to his back taking her with him. They laid there for a few moments before the alarm told them it was time to get moving.

''Why do I have to work on Christmas day?'' Andy whined. ''It's not fair.''

''One of the many downsides on being a rookie,'' Sam stated calmly.

''Hey, I'm not a rookie anymore, we were all cut loose a long time ago.''

Sam started laughing, her definition of a long time ago didn't really match his. ''Well, you'll be considered a rookie until there are new ones to take over that title. And even then, you'll always be a rookie to me, I trained you.''

Andy sighed and followed Sam to the bathroom. They both got ready for their day and made it to Sam's truck. In parade they discovered that they were partnered up together again. When assignments were handed out Andy smiled at Sam. She met him at the cruiser ten minutes later, two fresh coffees in her hand.

''We get to spent Christmas together after all,'' Andy smiled. ''Do you think it will be a busy day?''

''Probably not,'' Sam said. ''Mostly it's just family issues that got out of control and drunk people that can't handle being alone on Christmas.''

Sam was right, their day was pretty easy. They did get call after call, but nothing to complicated. They made it back to the barn on time and picked up Lissy from Tommy's house together. Sam knew Andy's father was still a little hesitant about their relationship. Tommy was friendly towards him, but Sam could definitely feel an edge. He guessed he couldn't blame the guy, he was just looking out for his daughter.

Tommy had plans with people from his meetings, so Andy kissed her dad goodbye after they had sat down for half an hour. They brought Lissy back home and had a slow dinner together. Sam had cooked and told Andy to stay away from the kitchen. Andy already knew he was quite the chef, so she wasn't surprised when he fed her one of the best Christmas dinners she ever had.

After dinner they all sat down in the living room to unwrap presents. They both had promised not to do anything to crazy, but to keep it simple. Andy first got a present for Lissy, she helped her daughter unwrap it and when all the paper was gone she found a DUPLO set. She looked up at Sam and smiled at him knowing he got it.

''Sarah told me this was a good present,'' he admitted. ''Laura and Jason have tons of it and played with it non stop.''

''It's great,'' Andy said.

''Am,'' Lissy said before trying to pull the box in the air.

''Yeah, I can see it sweetie,'' Sam laughed. ''Why don't you give this to mommy,'' he said while handing her a wrapped gift.

Andy blushed a little when Lissy handed her the gift. ''Ball?'' Lissy asked her mother.

''I don't know what's in it sweetie, maybe it is a ball.''

''Pretty sure it isn't,'' Sam said laughing.

''Lissy will be so disappointed,'' Andy said while laughing at her daughter.

Andy quickly got rid of the paper and turned the present around. It was a picture frame with a picture of Sam and Lissy. Sam wasn't one to have his photo taken a lot, so he wasn't looking in the camera, he was looking at Lissy. Lissy was sitting in his lap and Sam had an arm around her. She laid back against his chest and had her eyes closed.

''Wow,'' Andy said. ''Where did you got that picture?''

''I found it on your laptop and you told me you wanted a picture with me and Lissy, so I thought..''

''It's perfect,'' Andy cut him off. ''Thank you.''

They all opened a few more presents. For Lissy there was a small t-shirt of the maple leafs. When she opened it Andy started laughing immediately.

''Are you trying to get my daughter to pick a team already?'' she asked Sam.

''No,'' Sam said. ''She's a smart girl, she'll support the maple leafs.''

''Sure she will.'' Andy picked up her daughter and nuzzled her neck. ''Tell Sam we don't care about hockey Lis.''

''Key,'' Lissy tried to repeat.

Sam scooped Lissy out of Andy's arms and placed a kiss on her head. ''Look, she's already practising. Go maple leafs, right Lis?''

''Go,'' Lissy said before they all started laughing.

Andy had gotten a few small gifts for Lissy, she bought more practical gifts knowing Lissy wouldn't really understand or remember it anyway. She was growing like weed so she needed a lot of new clothes and that was quite expensive. Andy had bought her daughter a few small toys too.

Besides the picture frame Andy got a maple leafs shirt too, Sam gave her the simple instruction to wear that shirt and that shirt only. According to Sam that would be the sexiest thing he would ever see. Lissy was busy playing with the wrapping paper so Sam took that opportunity to kiss Andy deeply. ''All though what you were wearing last night is pretty high on that list too,'' Sam said. Andy quickly got back to the presents because she could feel herself turning red.

The last presents she got were simple silver ear studs. ''I know you don't usually wear a lot of jewellery, but I know you always have earrings in and you can keep these ones in during work,'' Sam explained the gift.

''It's great, I love it,'' Andy said before pressing her lips to his again.

Andy had gotten Sam a miniature Christmas tree with decorations and lights already in it. ''For next year,'' she explained. ''I thought we should let you start off easy and then maybe one year you'll be able to handle the real thing.''

Besides the tree she gave Sam a new duffle bag for work. His old one was a little bit worn out, but he didn't want to go to the mall to get a new one. Andy had also gotten him a new leather belt.

After all the presents were unwrapped Lissy was put down on the ground to play with her new toys a little. Andy had kissed Sam properly and thanked him for their gifts while Sam had thanked her.

A lot of people would probably not think much of their presents, it wasn't very expensive or much, but they both didn't value that. Later that night Sam and Andy were both lying in bed together. Andy had her head on Sam's chest, she could feel and hear his heartbeat and she felt more relaxed than ever.

''I'm really glad you came into my life this year,'' Andy whispered in the dark before pressing her lips to his chest.

''I wasn't too happy at first,'' Sam joked. When he felt Andy slap him lightly he chuckled. ''But right now I'm really happy about it,'' he admitted.

''If I wouldn't have blown your cover a lot of people would have had a merrier Christmas,'' Andy said quietly.

Sam backed away from her so he could look at her. He turned around to put the light beside the bed on. ''What do you mean?'' he asked confused.

''If you would have been able to take down Hill,'' Andy paused for a moment while Sam waited until she continued whatever she had to say. ''Think of all those girls he's been pimping out, they would be free,'' Andy closed her eyes for a moment feeling guilty.

''Andy, come on,'' Sam said. He really didn't even want to begin discussing this. ''You know that's not true.''

''If I wouldn't have blown your cover, you would have finished the operation. Hill would be behind bars and those girls would have a much better life.''

''You don't know that,'' Sam said. ''Look, you did what you thought was right, we can't save everybody okay? And if Jerry wouldn't have welcomed me back Oliver would have put me in a holding cell and released me a few hours later.''

''But still,'' Andy tried again.

''McNally, I'm serious. Don't take the weight of the world on your shoulder, it will crush you. You don't know if those girls would have a better life if Hill was put away. Most of the time those girls don't see a way out of that life, so they would have end up with a different pimp.''

''You don't know that,'' Andy protested.

''And you don't know if they would be happier,'' Sam firmly said. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. ''I might have been pissed off at the time, but right now there isn't any other place I'd rather be so I guess for us it worked out.''

''Do you ever miss it?'' Andy asked.

''What?''

''Being undercover? Everybody says you are perfect for it. I know you've been undercover a lot for the last few years. You never get bored of just working the streets?''

''I like the thrill of being undercover,'' Sam admitted. He was silent for a moment while he kept playing with Andy's hair. ''Becoming a new person, getting people to trust you enough to let you in on their organisation.''

''Ever think of going again?'' Andy asked him nervously.

''Not lately,'' Sam said. He rolled over so he was facing her and he pulled her towards his chest. ''Look I don't know what will happen in the future, but I can promise you that I won't make decisions like that without talking to you. Right now I'm perfectly happy where I am.'' Sam kissed Andy on the mouth and ran his thumb across her lips. ''Wouldn't leave you,'' he said before pressing their lips together one more time. ''Wouldn't leave Lissy either, want to be here for everything.''

Andy sighed and nodded. She didn't know how she got so lucky. ''I had a really perfect Christmas, thank you,'' she whispered to him.

''Me too,'' Sam admitted.

XX

Andy walked through the barn with tears in her eyes. She quickly walked to the locker room and dropped down on a bench before she let her tears fall freely. She didn't understand how this happened, her life was so perfect this morning and right now she felt like a mess.  
After a few minutes she heard the door open and close again, when she felt someone hug her she didn't even have to look to know Traci was there. Andy sobbed on her best friend shoulder and tried to form words.

''He,'' she started. ''I,'' she couldn't finish a sentence before tears overtook her again. Andy didn't cry a lot and when she did cry it were mostly silent tears in her bed. Right now she was close to hyperventilating.

Traci dropped to her knees in front of Andy and framed her face with two hands. ''Sweetie, I need you to breath with me okay? Can you please do that for me?'' Traci started to take big breaths and encouraged Andy to breath with her. After a minute or two Andy started to calm and she took a deep breath while closing her eyes.

''I don't understand how he could be like this,'' she whispered.

''What happened Andy?'' Traci asked? She had no idea what happened that got her best friend so upset. She was on desk duty today when Oliver came to her and asked her to help McNally in the locker room. He only said something happened and she needed a friend right now.

''Mark,'' Andy said. ''We arrested him.''

''Lissy's father?'' Traci asked. ''What did he do?''

''We went to a domestic call, his girlfriend was lying in the bathroom unconscious. Oliver found a big bag of cocaine, he's dealing too.''

Traci nodded, that explained why her friend was upset, but she hadn't expect Andy to get this upset over something like that. ''He said something to you, didn't he?''

''He tried to talk me out of arresting him. Bring up all the good times you know,'' Andy said sarcastically. ''He even brought Lissy into it, because how on earth could I arrest the father of my child.''

''Yeah, he's quit the father figure,'' Traci said. That comment brought a faint smile to Andy's face.

''I asked him what her name was,'' Andy said. ''I actually thought for a moment that maybe he would know. Maybe a tiny piece of him would care that he brought a small person into this world.''

''Let me guess, he didn't know?''

''He told me her name was Becky.'' Andy snorted. ''I always thought that maybe one day he would open up to the possibility of getting to know Lissy. What do I do now when she asks me where her father is one day? I can't tell her that her dad is a drugs dealer that beat the crap out of his girlfriend.''

''Andy, she'll be fine,'' Traci said.

''Will she be? Obviously her genes from his side aren't really good. And look at me, my mom left me when I was a teenager and my dad was drunk all the time when I was growing up. What a great gene pool she comes from.''

''She has you as a mother, so actually yeah I think she did pretty great,'' Traci complimented Andy. ''Honey, throughout all of this you've been an amazing mom. You're always there when she needs you, you love her more than anything in this world and you give her everything she needs.'' Traci put a reassuring hand on Andy's shoulder. ''Believe me, kids don't need two good parents. One will do just fine.''

Andy slowly nodded. ''I know, maybe I'm overreacting.''

''No, you're not sweetie,'' Traci said. ''These last few years have been hard on you and things finally seemed to slow down. And if Dex would have did this I would be a mess too.'' Traci paused for a moment and rubbed Andy's back. ''Yesterday Leo accidently called Jerry dad,'' Traci said. ''Maybe, one day Sam will become that for Lissy. He already loves her, there's no doubt about it.''

''God, when did life become so complicated?'' Andy laid on the bench and put an arm over her eyes.

''Being an adult sucks,'' Traci agreed. ''Right now Leo's biggest concern is if his best friend will have a play date with him. What I wouldn't give to let that be my biggest concern.''

''Aah, you know I would gladly go on a play date with you,'' Andy said with a small smile. ''Come on, let's go back to work,'' she said before sitting up. She quickly gave herself a look over in the mirror. She removed the mascara smudges under her eyes and decided she looked decent enough.

When they walked out of the locker room Andy was called in to Best' office. He told her to sit down for a moment because he needed to talk to her. Andy immediately felt nervous, she couldn't remember breaking protocol, but you never know.

''McNally,'' Frank started. ''I heard you arrested someone you know?''

''Knew,'' Andy corrected. ''I don't want anything to do with him right now.''

''Look McNally, this is between you and me I promise you that.'' Frank looked at one of his most promising rookies for a moment. ''He's asking for you,'' Frank says. ''He says he wants to talk to you and you will understand everything when he explains himself.''

''I hardly doubt that,'' Andy said. ''I really don't have anything to say to him sir.''

''I think that may be a wise decision,'' Frank told her. ''For now I think you've had enough excitement for one day. Your shift was almost over anyway, go change and go home McNally.''

''Sir,'' Andy said.

''That's an order McNally.'' Bests voice didn't leave any room for discussion so Andy quickly stood up before thanking him.

She went into the locker room and got back into her civvies as soon as possible. Normally she always showered at the station, but today she didn't feel like it.

XX

''Truck, can you say truck?'' Sam tried.

Lissy looked at him with her big brown eyes and just grinned. ''Dog,'' she said.

''No, truck,'' Sam tried again.

''Mama,'' Lissy said.

''Yeah, yeah,'' Sam muttered. ''Don't worry, I'll buy you some cars to play with, way better than all those pink things.'' Sam was only joking. He didn't really mind all the pink toys and clothes that took over his entire house today.

Tommy was suppose to have Lissy for the day, but he called to let Andy know he wasn't feeling well at all. Andy wanted to call Mrs. Nash to ask if she could take Lissy when Sam told her he had the day off, if it was okay with Andy he could take her for a day. Andy looked at him for nearly halve a minute without saying anything. Sam thought he made a mistake by offering his babysitting skills when he saw the corners of her mouth go up.

''Seriously?"' she asked. ''You are willing to take Lissy for an entire day, a day you normally use to do all your secret man stuff?''

''Secret man stuff?'' Sam had asked. ''McNally, if you want to take her to Nash's mom, that's fine with me too. Just saying I wouldn't mind taking care of her either. I know her schedule, she knows me, I'm sure we would be fine.''

Andy's smile had grew bigger and she agreed. So Sam had made a bag for Lissy and he took her traveling crib out to his truck. He needed to do some stuff at home, so he would take her to his place. She didn't really have a lot of stuff there so he made sure he brought enough clothes, toys and diapers before going to his place.

Sam ruffled Lissy's hair and stood back up from the ground. He walked into the kitchen and got some juice for Lissy. He walked back out with her Sippy cup in his hand. ''Look Lissy, juice,'' he said before handing the cup over to Lissy.

Lissy smiled widely and clapped her hands. ''Drink,'' she said.

''Acting like I didn't gave her anything the rest of the day,'' Sam muttered when Lissy attacked the cup in her hands. Sam sat down on the couch and opened the newspaper. He kept one eye on Lissy while his other eye scanned the paper.

Lissy was playing quietly with her toys so Sam turned on the TV. A while later Lissy was tugging on his jeans. He lifted her from the floor and put her in his lap. He saw her bottom lip was trembling a little.

''Mama?'' she asked.

''Mommy is working sweetie.''

''Pa?'' Lissy asked. Sam knew she was referring to Tommy, grandpa was still a little hard to pronounce, so she called him 'pa'.

''Grandpa is sick, it's just you and me for today.'' Sam wondered if he made a mistake by taking Lissy for today. Of course he had spent a lot of time with her over the last few months, but he had never been alone with her for this long.

''Am,'' Lissy said while she laid her head on his chest. She put her thumb in her mouth and used her other hand to fist the fabric of Sam's shirt.

''Yeah, I'm here,'' Sam said. He placed a kiss on the top of Lissy's head and kept her in his arms. He put the TV on a stupid cartoon. Lissy never watched a lot of TV, but whenever she was fussy Andy would sit with her in front of the TV to calm her from time to time.

Five minutes later Lissy was laughing along with the laughing track on the TV. Sam was relieved she didn't threw a tantrum upset her mother wasn't there.

After ten minutes Sam turned off the TV and placed Lissy on the ground again. She didn't seem to care because she immediately walked back to where all her toys were lying on the floor.

When Sam heard a key in his lock he looked at the clock. Andy wasn't suppose to come home for more than two hours. She and Sarah were the only ones that had a key to his house and Sarah never visited him without announcing it first.

When Andy walked in the living room she gave him a small smile. ''Hi,'' she said before she walked over to Lissy and scooped her off the floor. She kissed her daughter's cheek and held her close to her. ''I missed you sweetie.''

''You're home early,'' Sam said before kissing her temple. ''Something wrong?''

Andy shook her head but Sam could tell she wasn't being honest with him. Andy looked at him and placed Lissy on her hip. She could tell he knew she was lying. "'Let's talk later okay?'' she asked him. She really didn't want to risk breaking down in front of Lissy.

''If you think that's better,'' Sam said.

''I do,'' Andy said. ''It's nothing too bad, I promise. Frank just thought it would be best for me to go home right now.''

Sam nodded, he knew Frank was pretty overprotective when it came down to the rookies so it could be nothing. He decided it probably was a case gone wrong or Andy getting too emotionally involved with something.

Andy kept Lissy close the rest of the day. She kept stroking her hair, kissing her face and rubbing her back. Sam had made dinner for all of them and Andy ate with Lissy on her lap.

Sam cleaned up everything and when he moved back into the living room Andy was lying on her back on the couch with Lissy sitting on her belly. She didn't see Sam standing in the doorway while she was talking to Lissy.

''I'm never going to let anyone touch you sweetie,'' Andy said. Lissy didn't get what her mother was doing so she just giggled and put her hands over Andy's eyes. Andy took her hands and placed a kiss on each of them. ''I love you more than anything and I will always protect you.''

Sam walked over to the couch and lifted Andy's feet so he could sit down too. He ran his hand up Andy's side and kissed Lissy's head.

''Why don't you stay here for the night?'' Sam asked. ''I have Lissy's traveling bed and I brought more than enough stuff for her. I washed the clothes you left here so you have a clean set of clothes too.''

''We can go to my place if you mind?'' Andy said.

''No, it will be nice to have my two girls under my roof for a change,'' Sam said. ''Besides, Lissy already is pretty tired so this will safe us a trip back to your place.''

''Okay,'' Andy agreed.

When Lissy's bedtime arrived Sam cleaned up her toys while Andy brought her to bed. Sam had placed the traveling bed in the spare room next to his bedroom. The room was mostly used as storage, but there was more than enough place for the small bed.

When Andy walked back into the living room she dropped down next to Sam on the couch with a big sigh. She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. ''I'm so tired,'' she said softly.

''What happened?'' Sam asked. He was on the verge of calling Frank to ask him what was up when Andy wouldn't tell her right away. He decided against that because he didn't want to betray Andy's trust in him.

''I arrested Mark,'' Andy said. She knew it was best to just tell Sam everything, so she did. She told him how Mark had begged her not to arrest him for the sake of Lissy. She told him he didn't even know Lissy's name. How his girlfriend was lying on the bathroom with severe injuries and how Oliver found a bag of cocaine.

''He's using?'' Sam asked. He listened to Andy's story without interrupting her. He knew she just had to get it out.

''It was a lot, so most likely he's dealing. I don't know if he also uses it himself.''

Sam swallowed and cupped Andy's face with one hand. ''Sweetheart, I have to ask this. Did he ever hurt you?''

Andy shook her head. ''No.''

''You promise?'' Sam asked one more time just to be absolutely sure. He knew a lot of victims of domestic violence were too ashamed to admit the abuse.

''He never hurt me, I promise.''

''Good,'' Sam said before kissing her temple. The thought of someone hurting Andy was enough to make his blood boil. As far as Sam was concerned Mark should consider himself very lucky to be in a cell. He never thought highly of the guy after everything Andy had told him before, but right now Sam would gladly use him as a punching bag.

''What do I tell Lissy?'' Andy asked. Sam looked at her and she never looked so vulnerable before.

''She's too young to be asking questions Andy,'' Sam tried.

''Her dad is in jail,'' Andy closed her eyes and let out a shuddering breath. ''This will affect her.''

''You don't know that,'' Sam said again.

''You know a lot of normal kids that have a criminal as a parent?'' Andy asked slightly irritated.

''Me,'' Sam said.

''What?'' Andy asked him confused.

Sam sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. ''I told you I only met my dad a few times right?'' Sam asked her. When Andy slowly nodded he continued. ''He didn't live with us because he was in jail,'' Sam admitted. He didn't share this story with a lot of people, actually the only person that knew about this besides Sarah was Jerry.

''What did he do?'' Andy asked softly. She wasn't used to Sam opening up to her. Everytime it happened it was unexpected.

''Drugs, laundering money, abuse, what didn't he do?'' Sam asked. ''Let's just say his record is pretty long.'' Sam put his hand on Andy's thigh and closed his eyes. ''I only visited him a few times because apparently he had a right to see us after my mom died.''

''How old were you?'' Andy asked. She had been meaning to ask him that for longer, but it never felt like the right moment. It was a very rare occasion that Sam would willingly share information about his childhood, she had figure out that much by now.

''Six,'' Sam said. ''Sarah and I went into foster care, guess we were lucky with where we ended up.''

''How did your mom die?''

''Suicide,'' Sam said without showing any emotion. Andy knew he had trouble talking about this, she was just happy he was sharing this with her. ''At least, that's what the reports say. Could be just a overdose, she didn't leave a note or anything.''

''I'm so sorry,'' Andy whispered.

''Happened a long time ago McNally. Sarah and I both turned out okay and we had each other.'' Sam looked at it rationally. Of course he had moments in the past where he was mad at the world for everything, but he honestly made his peace with it all.

''Did you live with the same family all that time?'' Andy asked. She was still slightly shocked Sam grew up in foster care, she never would have thought that.

''No, we were moved around a lot in the beginning. I don't remember much of it. Sarah and I were separated a few times but eventually we went to an older couple together. We stayed there until I was 18. Sarah stayed there all that time too, they didn't have to do that but they genuinely cared for us.''

''Do you still see them?'' Andy asked.

''Anna passed away three years ago,'' Sam said. Andy guessed that would be the mother of the house. ''Jim couldn't live alone so he moved to family in the states. Sarah still contacts him every now and then and updates me.''

Andy nodded at him. ''So, you don't have to have perfect parents to turn out okay,'' Sam concluded. ''Whenever Lissy starts asking questions just tell her the truth and tell her you love her like crazy and she is nothing like him.''

''I know,'' Andy said. ''It's just hard.''

''Do you love her any less for it?'' Sam asked already knowing the answer.

''No, of course not,'' Andy said. ''Why would you even ask that?''

''I'm asking, so I can show you this doesn't change anything at all. Who cares what he does or says? You already knew he was an idiot from the moment he decided he didn't want a place in either of your lives.'' Sam kissed Andy's temple before continuing. ''This doesn't change anything.''

''I wish you were her father,'' Andy said. ''I know we aren't even dating this long, but I know you would never just walk out on a child like that.''

''I wouldn't,'' Sam agreed. ''I'll be here for her no matter what.''

XX

_Authors note: Please review, they actually make my day!_


	20. Chapter 20

Merry Christmas to all of you!

The last chapter is here..

Maybe an epilogue will follow, I'm pretty positive it will.

XX

Chapter 20

Andy and Sam had been together for a while now, things were actually great. They found a way to balance out work and their personal life. After Lissy's day with Sam her travel bed had stayed at his place, so every now and then she could sleep at his place. They spend most of their nights at Andy's place because all Lissy's stuff was there. Andy's drawers were slowly filling up with Sam's stuff too, just like she had stuff at his place.

Sam woke up when he felt something rush out of the bed. He slowly opened his eyes and turned around just in time to see Andy run into the bathroom. He heard her getting sick, Sam pushed the covers off of him and walked into the bathroom.

Sam took a glass from the cabinet and filled it up with water. He moved to sit behind Andy and rubbed her back while she threw up.

When Andy was done she closed her eyes and let her weight rest against Sam. ''You don't have to watch me be sick,'' she said while she took the glass of water from him. ''It's disgusting.''

Sam ignored her protests and pressed a kiss to her temple. ''What's going on? You coming down with something?''

Andy took a small sip of her water and got up from the bathroom floor so she could brush her teeth. ''I don't know, I have been tired for a few days. Probably I'm getting the flu or something.''

''Why didn't you say anything?'' Sam wanted to know. If he would have known she wasn't feeling well he could have helped her more. Two nights ago he had a poker night with the guys, so he wasn't there. He would have given that up to take Lissy so Andy could sleep if she wasn't feeling well.

''Come on SamI was tired and I threw up once. It's not the end of the world.'' Andy closed her eyes again and rested her head against the cabinet while she was brushing her teeth.

''I'm calling Frank to say you're sick.''

''Don't be ri, diculous, I'll be fine,'' Andy protested. She really was feeling like crap, but she didn't want to admit it. She wasn't sick very often, but she really didn't want to call in sick either. She would be fine if she would just go to work and focus on that.

Sam's head snapped up when Lissy started crying. ''I'll get her,'' he told Andy. ''And this discussion is not over yet.''

Andy sighed and spit out the toothpaste in her mouth. She rinsed her mouth and got back into the bedroom. She quickly got dressed and joined Sam and Lissy in the living room.

Sam looked up when she walked in and shook his head a little. ''Why are you dressed?''

''I figured it would be inappropriate to show up at work in a tank top and shorts,'' Andy replied. She kissed Lissy on the top of her head and took the plate Sam was feeding Lissy from. ''I've got this.''

''Andy, you're sick so you need to stay home,'' Sam tried again. He was aware of the fact he was probably fighting a losing battle here. Whenever Andy made up her mind, there was no fighting her on it. That didn't mean he didn't try.

''I threw up once and I'm a little tired, that doesn't make me sick Sam.'' Andy's voice didn't leave any room for a discussion. She didn't even look at him when she said it so Sam sighed and gave up, the last thing he needed was another fight. Sam walked back to the bedroom and quickly got ready for his day. When he got out of the bedroom Lissy was already dressed and ready too. Andy walked passed him to put on some make up.

On the way to the daycare neither of them spoke. Sam glanced over at Andy and saw her sitting with her eyes closed. ''Sweetheart, please just let me take you home,'' Sam tried one more time. ''I can see you're tired and there is no shame in staying home for a day so you can get better.''

''I'm working,'' Andy said not entirely convincing. She was nauseous and felt like she couldn't even stand up, so tired was she.

''Okay,'' Sam said with a sigh. When they reached the daycare Sam looked over at Andy who still had her eyes closed. ''I'll just bring her inside okay? You stay here.''

''Yeah okay,'' Andy said with a small voice. She turned around to face her daughter. ''Have fun today sweetie, I love you.''

''Mama bye,'' Lissy waved. Normally Andy would bring her inside or Andy and Sam would go together, but she didn't seem to bothered by the fact that her mother stayed in the car.

Sam quickly lifted Lissy out of her car seat. He made sure her mittens and hat were on properly before taking her out of the warm car. Toronto was fully taken over by winter so it was very very cold. One sick McNally would be hellish enough Sam reasoned with himself.

While he walked to the door with Lissy on his hip he whispered in her ear ''Mommy is being a little bit stubborn today Lis.''

Lissy laughed when Sam tickled her side and threw her arms around her neck. ''Mama, Am, Issy,'' she said.

''Yeah, it's been the three of us for a while now,'' Sam's thoughts drifted off. The last few months had been the happiest of his life. He didn't even recognize who he was anymore. He was happy living a very domestic life. He was more than happy to take care of Lissy whenever Andy couldn't and he could count the times he had been at the Penny that month on one hand. His life had changed a lot, but only in good ways.

Sam left Lissy with one of the daycare teachers and walked back to his truck.

''She give you any trouble?'' Andy asked him when he put his seatbelt on.

''Does she ever?'' Sam asked back.

At that Andy chuckled a little. ''No, I guess she doesn't.'' Just last week Andy had told Sam she sometimes was disappointed with how easy she could drop Lissy off at daycare. The little girl didn't show any signs that she missed her mother.

Sam drove them to the station. When he killed the engine he looked at Andy. ''You look better,'' he said. She still looked a little pale, but at least there was a little more spark in her eyes.

''I feel better,'' Andy smiled at him. ''I'm sure it's just a small bug, I'll be fine Sam.''

''I know,'' he said.

That didn't stop him from making a stop at Frank's office though. No matter what Andy was saying, Sam didn't want her on patrol if she was sick. Sam knew Frank would share his opinion, their job was dangerous enough when you are on the top of your game.

Andy walked back out of the locker room, she didn't want anybody to know she just threw up again so she put on the best fake smile she had. When she turned around the corner she saw Best standing there with Sam.

''McNally,'' Best called out. Andy looked up and made her way towards her staff sergeant. ''Swarek told me you aren't feeling so well, you're okay to work?''

If looks could kill Sam wouldn't be alive anymore because of the look Andy shot him. When she looked back at Best she had the fake smile plastered on her face again. ''Yes sir, I'm feeling great actually.''

Frank looked at her, not quite believing what she was telling. ''I'll put you on desk duty just in case.''

''Sir, really,'' Andy tried to protest.

''McNally, desk duty for you today and that's the last of it,'' Frank said before walking away. ''I'll see you both in parade.''

Andy looked at Sam and rolled her eyes. She brushed past him without saying another word. In parade she sat down next to Traci waiting until Frank would start. When he was giving assignments she didn't really listen. She was pissed at Sam, who was he to decide what work she could and couldn't do. Going to their staff sergeant behind her back was an ass thing to do and she wouldn't forgive him for that easily.

When parade was done Andy quickly walked towards the front desk. She was on desk duty with Gail which would be fine any other day, but when Andy was in a mood she had a little trouble dealing with Gail's attitude.

Sam stopped by the front desk when she was just sitting down, Gail wasn't there yet so they were all alone.

''Can I help you with anything officer Swarek?'' Andy asked him while glancing up at him from the corner of her eye.

''McNally, come on,'' Sam tried. ''One day of desk duty won't hurt you.''

''You think this is about desk duty?'' Andy hissed at him. ''You don't think there is any other reason I could be mad at you?''

''No matter what our personal relationship is, I am still the senior officer,'' Sam said in a warning voice. ''That means I am responsible for you and if I think you are not in top shape..''

''Yes, I threw up this morning. I can't believe how unfit for my job I am,'' Andy said sarcastically. She tried to keep her voice down to keep all the other officers that were passing by from hearing their argument.

''I didn't say that,'' Sam said. ''But if you're going to be like this, we'll talk another time.'' Sam was pissed now too. He only had her best interest at heart and he didn't want anything to happen to her. If he would have thought one of the other rookies weren't feeling well he would have done the same thing.

Thank god for everybody, Sam was riding alone. He was in a mood all day long and when he parked the cruiser again at the end of the day he was ready to go to the penny and have a few drinks with his friends. He couldn't do that, he knew that. He needed to check on Andy and see if she needed help with Lissy. No matter if they were fighting, Lissy felt like his responsibility now too.

Andy hadn't thrown up since that morning, still a little part of her was grateful she was on desk duty. She still felt nauseous from time to time and she hadn't been able to eat anything. She was changing back into her civvies when all of the sudden she became very dizzy. She almost fell down, but a pair of hands grabbed her from behind.

''Whoa, what's going on?'' Gail asked?

''Nothing, just blacked out a little,'' Andy tried. She sat down on the bench and put her head in her hands. Gail walked away for a moment and came back with a drink.

''Here, you should drink this,'' Gail said. ''Your blood sugar is probably low, you haven't eaten anything all day.''

''I know, I guess I really am sick,'' Andy muttered.

Gail looked at her for a moment and took in Andy's appearance. ''You sure Swarek didn't knock you up?'' she asked.

'"Gail!'' Andy shrieked. Not only did the choice of words was offending, her mind actually started wondering for a moment. When she was pregnant with Lissy she couldn't keep anything down for the first few weeks, she tried to recall if she felt the same as she did then.

''Oh my god, you are aren't you?'' Gail smiled. ''Does Swarek know already?''

''Gail, I'm not pregnant okay?'' Andy said. When Gail looked at her with a non believing face she put a little more force behind her words. ''I AM NOT,'' she said again. ''I just have the flu.''

''Okay, whatever you say.'' Gail didn't completely believe her friend there, it looked like she was doing some counting in her head when Gail mentioned a pregnancy. ''You need a ride home? Nick is picking me up.''

''No, I'll wait on Sam,'' Andy said. When Gail left Andy closed her eyes. She didn't want to be pregnant, she really didn't. She wanted more kids eventually, but right now would be the worst timing in the world. She and Sam weren't dating that long and career wise it wouldn't be a smart move either. Andy rested her head against the locker, she probably wasn't pregnant she told herself. She and Sam always were very careful, so they should be fine.

When Sam walked out of the men's locker room he saw Peck leaning against the wall. ''Peck, you need anything?'' he asked.

''You,'' she said. Sam's head snapped up, out of all the rookies he had the least contact with Peck. ''McNally okay?'' he asked immediately. If Gail wanted to talk to him it would probably concern Andy.

''She nearly passed out in the locker room, just wanted to make sure you were done with your cavemen act and take her home before I left.''

Sam snorted a little when Peck mentioned his cavemen act. Apparently Andy had told her what happened between them this morning. When her words landed he walked towards the female locker room without looking back. ''I've got her,'' he said.

He entered the locker room without hesitation. He walked over to the bench where Andy was sitting and dropped down next to her. He was still a little cautious because of the argument they had this morning.

''You okay?'' he asked as casual as he could.

Andy looked up at him with watery eyes. ''I think I'm sick,'' she muttered.

A small smile played on Sam's lips. ''You don't say,'' he said. ''Peck said you nearly passed out, you tried to eat anything today?''

''No, but I drank this,'' she lifted the bottle in her hands. ''So at least I've got some sugar in me now.''

Sam nodded. ''That's good. Let me just go tell Frank you're out for tomorrow okay? And I'll come back and pick you up so I can take you home.''

''If you're going to say I told you so..'' Andy warned him.

Sam rolled his eyes at her behaviour, even when she was sick she was trying to win arguments against him. ''I wouldn't dare.''

Sam made a quick trip to Frank to tell him Andy would take the next day off, after that she would have weekend anyway so that one day would probably be enough to get better. When he was done with Frank Sam walked back into the female locker room and supported Andy while walking to the truck. He went inside the daycare to pick up Lissy. Andy had registered him as a contact person a month ago, so he was allowed to pick up Lissy without Andy.

When they were driving back to her apartment Andy thought back to Gail's words. She couldn't be pregnant, could she? She turned around to see Lissy was playing with a toy in her car seat. All of the sudden her nerves became too much and she blathered it out. ''Gail asked me if I was pregnant.''

Sam's head snapped up and he almost lost control of the steering wheel. ''What?'' he asked. ''What do you mean? Are you?''

''No, I don't think so.'' Andy answered him. The idea didn't seem so weird though, she was on the pill and they didn't bother with condoms after they confirmed they were both clean. The pill wasn't exactly 100% effective, she knew that too.

''You don't think so or you know?'' Sam asked her. ''When was your last period?''

Andy was slightly surprised Sam wasn't freaking out. Of course he wanted to know details, but his voice was firm like always and he looked like he was in total control of the situation again.

''I don't know exactly, I skipped placebo week and started a new set of active pills to delay my period.'' Sam was silent and nodded. ''Look, it's just something Gail said and I'm sure I'm not okay?''

''Okay'' Sam said calm as ever.

He carried Lissy inside and told Andy she should lie down. He brought her soup halve an hour later. Before he brought Lissy to bed he brought her into their bedroom to kiss Andy goodnight.

''Say goodnight to mommy,'' Sam said as he placed Lissy on the bed. Lissy immediately crawled on top of her mother and kissed her on the face a few times.

Andy let out a small laugh and kissed Lissy properly. ''Goodnight sweetie, I love you.''

Lissy felt the moment was over and lifted her arms. ''Am bed,'' she said.

Sam laughed and lifted her up. ''Making demands already.''

When Sam sat down in Lissy's room with Lissy on his lap he looked at the little girl. He probably should have freaked out in the car, but the prospect of having a baby didn't send him running to the hills as it would have only a year ago. He loved Andy, he loved Lissy and they would be fine he knew that. Sam read Lissy a story because he knew that was part of her bedtime ritual. After the story was done he kept Lissy on his lap silently rocking her to sleep.

After a few minutes a felt her breathing even out and he lifted the little girl so he could put her in her crib. When she was safely in her crib he turned off the lights and headed towards the living room.

Sam cleaned up the living room and sat down in front of the TV for a while. When he grew tired he made sure the place was locked and he walked into Andy's bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and brushed his teeth in the bathroom, after that he crawled in behind Andy. He put his arm around her waist and rested a hand on her stomach.

''What if I am?'' Andy asked out of the blue. Sam thought she was asleep, but apparently she had spent the night worrying again.

''What?'' Sam asked.

''What if I am pregnant?'' Andy asked. She had spent the entire night thinking about it, she was religious about taking birth control, so she always followed the instructions on the prescription.

''If you are pregnant, then we are going to have a baby,'' Sam calmly said.

''That doesn't freak you out?'' Andy asked him. Even though she had gone through this before, the thought of having another baby freaked her out a little.

Sam rolled to his back and sighed while he ran his hand across his face. ''Would it be soon?'' he asked. ''Yes it would. We don't know if you are, so let's not get ahead of ourselves here okay?''

''I always take my pill Sam,'' Andy slowly said. ''I promise you.''

Sam rolled to his side again and pressed a kiss to her head. ''What do you mean?'' he asked.

''I don't know, just maybe you think I'm trying to trick you into something,'' Andy started.

''Stop,'' Sam said cutting her off. ''Like you said, it's highly unlikely you are pregnant and if you are then we'll look at it as a good thing okay? I don't think you're trying to trick me into anything. You don't need to trick me into anything by the way, no matter what happens I'm all in.''

''Just think, if I am pregnant, what would people say?''

''Honestly? They would judge us, more you than me probably and they would call us idiots. But the people we love would be happy for us and we would show the rest of the world that they're wrong.''

Sam slowly placed his hand back on Andy's stomach under her shirt and rubbed up and down. ''I'll buy a test tomorrow sweetheart, no matter what it says we'll deal with it together.''

''I seriously can't believe you are so calm after this. Many guys would have smashed their trucks after I blurted out someone mentioned the possibility of a pregnancy,'' Andy chuckled a little.

''Well, I'm very cool McNally.'' Sam calmly said. ''And getting you pregnant was on my to do list anyway, I just thought we might wait a little longer.''

Andy laughed at his very unromantic words, with a romantic meaning behind it. ''God, I'm so tired,'' she rubbed her eyes.

''Go sleep,'' Sam muttered in her hair. ''You need it.''

XX

The next morning Sam got up as early as he could. He called Jerry and Oliver and gave them instructions to help him. He went to the Shaw residence to drop off his credit card and he gave Oliver very specific instructions for the task he had for his two best friends.

After that he went to the drug store and picked up two pregnancy tests. He got a glare from the girl behind the counter, but he didn't care. Yesterday things became very clear for him and today would be the day where he would get some answers. He already had the day off so he didn't need to worry about work.

When he walked back into Andy's apartment he noticed everything was still dark. He had left Andy a note, but it was untouched. When he walked into the nursery he saw Lissy was on her stomach with her hands next to her head. Sam smiled at how the little girl looked and went into Andy's bedroom.

When he walked in he saw her eyes flutter open.

''Hey, you up already?'' she asked.

''Yes, how are you feeling?'' he asked her.

Andy stretched a little and nodded her head. ''A little sore, but better I think.''

Sam handed her the little brown bag he picked up at the drug store. ''I bought two tests, thought it might be best to stop speculating and get some answers.''

''Yes, okay,'' Andy nodded. ''I guess, I'll go take them then?''

''Yeah, go.''

A minute later Andy came back out of the bedroom. ''We just have to wait a few minutes,'' she said while placing the two sticks on the bedside table. She sat down next to Sam and rubbed her hands up and down her thighs.

Sam placed his hand over hers and kissed her. ''No matter what it says, I love you and we'll be okay. Okay?''

''Okay,'' Andy said nervously. ''I love you too.''

30 seconds before the test results would be final Lissy started crying. Andy looked up and Sam held her tightly. ''She can cry for a minute, we need to do this right now.''

Andy nodded and waited a few more seconds before taking a deep breath and picking up the two tests. Both results were the same and very clear. Andy let out a breath and felt her eyes filling with tears.

''What's the verdict?'' Sam asked. His voice sounded a more unsure than ever before. No matter how calm he said he was, he was nervous too. This could be a life changing moment for them.

''Negative,'' Andy slowly said. She sounded a little disappointed and Sam wanted to reach out to take her in his arms again, but she was off the bed before he had a chance to do it.

''I'll go make Lissy ready,'' she said before she was out of the bedroom.

Sam slowly picked up the sticks and looked at it, the boxes on the tests were empty. He sighed and threw them away in the bathroom. When he walked back into the living room Andy was sitting on a chair with Lissy on her lap. Both were still in their PJ's. Andy was rocking Lissy and placing kisses across her face.

''You okay McNally?'' Sam asked casually.

''Yeah, fine. This is what we were hoping for right?''

''I don't know, was it?'' Sam asked back. He knew his girlfriend and she definitely wasn't happy right now.

Andy closed her eyes and shook her head. ''I know I'm being stupid, there just was a small part of me that got a little excited with the idea. But I know we aren't there yet and this is the better outcome.''

''I know,'' Sam said. ''I guess I am a little disappointed too.''

''Really?'' Andy asked.

''Yeah,'' Sam said before kissing Andy while keeping a steady hand on Lissy's back. ''But like we already said, it would be a little early so let's just keep being us and we'll see what the future brings us.''

''I'd like that,'' Andy said.

XX

Just after dinner Sam took all their coats and threw Andy's towards her.

''We're going for a drive,'' he said.

''What?'' Andy asked? ''Sam, it's like an hour till Lissy's bedtime.''

''She'll be in bed on time.'' Sam took Lissy in his arms and put on her coat. Lissy looked at him with big eyes and a smile on her face. ''Truck?'' she asked.

''Yes, we're going to take a drive in my truck,'' Sam confirmed. ''Let's go McNally.''

''Sam, seriously, what is up?'' Andy asked again.

''I need to show you something,'' he said. ''In order to do that we need to take a drive.''

''To..?'' Andy tried.

''Just trust me McNally,'' Sam said before picking up Lissy and walking out of the door. ''Make sure you lock up, we'll wait in the truck.''

After a minute Sam saw Andy coming out of the door. She quickly walked towards his truck and got in. Sam had already started the engine so as soon as she was in the car he put the car in drive and started driving towards his destination.

When Sam parked the truck they were standing in front of his house. He got out and instructed Andy to do the same. He took Lissy from her seat and waited until Andy was standing next to him before opening the door to his house.

Andy didn't ask any questions, she let him lead her inside his house. When he turned on the lights and guided her towards the living room, she noticed a few changes. There were flowers on the dinner table, there were pictures on the wall and there were very fluffy pillows on the couch. She noticed Sam looked around too.

''Sam, what?'' she tried to ask. He grabbed her hand and took her upstairs. He opened the door to the room where Lissy usually slept when they were at his place. The walls used to be white and there were boxes everywhere, now the place smelled like paint and the walls had girly colours. There was a gorgeous wooden crib in the middle of the room and there were paintings of animals on the wall too.

''Fish,'' Lissy said while she pointed at one of the paintings.

''Sam, what is all of this?'' Andy asked.

''I gave Oliver my credit card and Jerry, Zoe and he have been here all day.'' Sam looked around and paused for a while. ''Zoe is suppose to be a star in decorating, but if you don't like it we can change it.''

''Why did you do it?'' Andy asked still looking around. The place was completely her style so she really didn't see the need to change anything.

''Move in with me?'' Sam asked with a smile.

Andy's face lit up and she smiled widely. ''What?'' she asked.

''Andy, I know what I want and I don't want to run between houses anymore. I want one house with all of our stuff in it. I want to know that you'll be next to me when I wake up and when I go to bed. I want to know that Lissy has a place for herself in my home and I want my home to become our home.''

Andy looked at Sam, she never heard him talk so much before. She especially never heard him talk so much about his feelings before.

''If this is not what you want, I can move in with you or we can look for a different place,'' Sam tried. ''But I figured I got more room and there are better schools here.''

Andy smiled wider when she heard that he even thought about Lissy's future when he made this decision.

''I love it,'' She said. ''I love you, of course we'll live here.''

Andy moved forward and put her arm around Lissy and Sam. She kissed Sam and took Lissy from him. ''What do you say baby girl? Do you want to live here and have this big room all for yourself?'' Andy asked with tears in her eyes.

''Cool,'' Lissy said. Sam and Andy started laughing. Apparently hanging out with Leo changed Lissy's vocabulary a little bit.

''I guess it's settled then,'' Sam said. ''We'll go to your place tonight, we can't sleep here with the paint fumes. We'll pack whatever you want to take with you and we'll put the house in your name too.''

''You don't have to do that,'' Andy protested. ''It's your house, you paid for it.''

''It's ours now,'' Sam said. ''And no matter what happens I want you to know you're taken care of and you will always have a roof above your head.''

''Okay,'' Andy whispered before kissing him again.

They walked through the entire house, Zoe also instructed the guys to change things in Sam's bedroom. They took in all the changes and Andy loved them all. Sam was impressed they pulled this off in one day, especially with Jerry's lack of handyman skills.

They went home early, Lissy needed to go to bed and Andy was still feeling weak even after spending most of the day in bed.

Later that week when they were completely settled in Andy had shown Sam just how much she loved him. Sam was lying on his back and Andy was sitting on top of them, their hands laced together next to his head. They were still breathing heavily when Lissy's crying brought them back to the real world. Andy closed her eyes and gave Sam's hands a small squeeze.

''Still happy we moved in?'' she asked with a grin.

'"Wouldn't have it any other way,'' Sam answered truthfully.

XX

It's over

I think the epilogue will exist of little future shots, if you have a scene you like to read, let me know and maybe I'll write it!


	21. Epilogue There's more

First of all the best wishes for 2013 to all of you!  
Let's hope it will be a good one.

Here it is, the epilogue!

I don't know if the story could happen as I wrote it, legally. But this is just for fun so I didn't do a very thorough research. I tried to keep it as realistic as possible and tried to look up a few things, but whatever doesn't fit, just bear with me.

XX

There's more – Epilogue

Sam slowly made his way into the house. He did his best to keep quiet because the house seemed to be completely quiet already. When he dropped his bag next to the door he quickly got rid of his jacket and made his way to the kitchen. He took a beer from the fridge and looked through the mail.  
He wasn't home that late, but lately he would come home to a quiet home more often than not. He had been working at a big case, which prevented him from being home before dinner. Now he usually was home around nine, Sam was relieved to know the case was done after tonight. When he finished his beer he decided to go check on his wife.

XX

_They had been together for a while when Sam decided it was time to become a family, a real family that is. He went to Tommy and asked for his permission to ask Andy to marry him. That might be old fashioned, but Sam knew Andy would value it. And besides the fact he wanted to marry Andy, a marriage to her would mean a commitment to Lissy as well. So he understood that Tommy would appreciate a heads up. When he had told Tommy he wanted to marry his daughter Tommy had given him a long look. _

''_You really love her do you?'' he asked his future son in law. _

''_I do Sir, more than anything,'' Sam promised. _

_Tommy had nodded and kept looking at him. ''What about Lissy?'' _

''_I love her too, I know she's not mine but it feels like she is and I promise I will always fight for the two of them to keep them safe and taken care off.'' _

''_Then you have my blessing son,'' Tommy simply said. He had seen the way his daughter was with this man, she was loved and happy. His granddaughter was completely comfortable around Sam too, so Tommy had faith in their relationship. _

_After that Sam went ring shopping, it took him two days to make a decision. When he had seen the ring he just knew that was it. It wasn't flashy or even very expensive, but it had Andy written all over it. Sam knew she wouldn't appreciate an expensive ring more than a simple ring, she would only worry about the money. _

_Sam didn't know how to propose to her. He didn't know if he should arrange Lissy to sleep somewhere or if he should involve the girl in the proposal. The more he thought about it, the more doubt he got. Eventually he decided that Lissy was the most important thing in their lives, so she should be there. Sam wasn't the type for roses, string quartets or getting down on one knee, so he came up with something else, something simple. _

_Andy was sitting in the chair reading one of her magazines. Sam gave the ring to a now nearly three year old Lissy. He told her to give it to her mother and sat back while the little girl walked to Andy. _

''_Mommy,'' Lissy said while she was holding up the velvet box. _

_Andy put away the magazine and took the box. ''Where did you find that sweetie?'' Andy asked confused. She never saw the box and looked at Sam when Lissy pointed in his direction. _

_Andy opened the box and gasped a little when she saw what was in it. It was not that she was completely surprised, she and Sam had been talking about their relationship and she knew he wanted to get married one day. With the way things were going she wasn't surprised that he was thinking about it, still the moment came completely unexpected. _

_When she looked up from the little box Sam was in front of her. He picked up Lissy and gestured to Andy that she should stand up too. He knew she was going to say yes, he was positive of it, but still his mouth felt dry and he felt nerves that Sam Swarek didn't feel a whole lot. _

_When they were standing together, looking each other in the eye with Lissy on Sam's hip Sam started smiling. ''McNally, you have been my partner in every sense of the word for a long time now. You and Lissy are my life, I love you both more than I ever thought possible. I never thought I would need anybody in my life, that was until I met you. You make me want things I never even thought possible. Now I want everybody to know that you and Lissy belong with me. Because you two complete me.'' Sam slowly took the ring out of Andy's hand and moved Lissy over to her so he could take her hand in his. ''Andy McNally, will you marry me?'' he asked. _

_Andy swallowed a few times and had tears in her eyes. ''Yes, of course, of course I'll marry you,'' she whispered before she kissed him tenderly. Sam slowly slid the ring down her finger and let out a little breath when he found out it was a perfect fit. When everything was in place Sam put his hand on Lissy's back and kissed Andy again. _

_When they broke apart Sam took Lissy in his arms again. ''You hear that Lis? Mommy agreed to marry me.'' _

''_We're going to have a wedding again sweetie,'' Andy said while giggling and kissing Lissy on her cheek. _

''_Pretty dress?'' Lissy asked. The only wedding she ever been too was the one of Jerry and Traci. They had tied the knot just a month ago and Lissy was very impressed with the white gown that Traci was wearing. Lissy herself had been a flower girl, so she was wearing a beautiful dress as well. Every person she came across that day had to hear she was like a princess. _

''_Your mom would look pretty in anything,'' Sam promised. ''But we'll make sure you get a pretty dress again.'' _

_They spent that entire day just enjoying each other's company and they brought Lissy to bed together that night. Sam tucked her in while Andy looked at the two most important people in her life. She was so lucky to have found Sam, he was more than she ever wished for and way more than she felt like she deserved. _

_When Lissy was safe and warm in her bed Sam flicked out the lights and grabbed Andy's hand to move her to the hallway. He gently pushed her to the wall and kissed a trail from her mouth to her collar bone and back. _

''_We're going to get married,'' Andy giggled. _

''_That's funny?'' Sam asked in a mocking tone. _

''_You will be like my husband.'' At that Andy pulled him towards her and switched positions with him so that he was the one with his back against the wall. Lissy wasn't fully asleep yet so they were very quiet as they made their way to the bedroom that night. _

_When they laid entangled together an hour later Sam ran his fingers over the ring on Andy's finger. _

''_You sure this is what you want?'' he asked her with a hoarse voice. _

_Andy rolled so she was lying on top of him, she softly kissed him and moved up a little so she could look him straight in the eye. ''I'm so lucky,'' she whispered. ''You've given me so much. There's nothing more I want more than to be your wife.'' She crashed her lips to his again and neither of them spoke anymore. _

_XX_

Sam just walked up the stairs when he heard a noise coming out of Lissy's bedroom. He checked his watch and saw she really should be asleep by this time. Normally Sam was one for strict parenting, but with all the changes Lissy had gone through lately, he decided the girl deserved a little break.

Sam walked to the door and opened it slowly, when he peeked inside he saw Lissy lying in bed with the covers thrown over her head. She had a big girl bed now, she found out how to climb out of her crib and that was a little too dangerous for the little girl. So the crib was removed from her room and replaced by a big bed with a princess cover.

''Lissy awake?'' Sam whispered with a small smile on his face. He knew she was awake, but he was curious to find out what she would respond with.

Slowly the covers were pushed down a little, revealing a big bush of brown hair. Lissy's big brown eyes gazed into his and she smiled a little. ''No sleeping,'' she said. Sam chuckled and walked over to her bed. He could still remember the day he first saw the girl, she was just a baby and now she was almost 4 and would be starting school in just a little while.

''Oh, you are most definitely going to sleep sweetheart. It's way past your bedtime.'' Lissy pouted in a way that reminded Sam of Andy whenever she didn't get what she wanted.

Sam sighed and took a book from her bookcase that was filled with children's books. ''One story and then you are going to sleep.''

Lissy nodded and made room on the bed for Sam. Sam laid down next to her and Lissy snuggled up to his side, Sam threw one arm around her and she laid her head on his arm. ''One story daddy,'' she said.

XX

_Andy always expected Lissy to start calling Sam dad. They never really encouraged her to do it, but Andy felt like it would come naturally at one point. Even after they moved in with Sam, Sam always stayed ''Am,'' for Lissy. After a while the 'S' was added to her vocabulary and he became 'Sam'. _

_Sam had told Andy he was fine with how things were. No matter if he would be 'daddy' or 'Sam', it wouldn't change anything about how he felt for the little girl. She was his, no matter what any blood test would tell others. _

_A few weeks before he had brought Lissy to bed. Andy was already asleep when he changed the girl into her cupcake pyjamas and read her a story. While he was tucking her in she looked at him with her big brown eyes and put her hand on his face. _

''_You are my daddy,'' Lissy said. _

_Sam looked at her with open mouth for a moment. He and Andy had discussed this, they agreed they would just go with whatever Lissy wanted to call him. They would never lie to her about the fact that Sam wasn't her birthfather, but they didn't need to complicate things for a three year old. _

''_What do you mean sweetie?'' Sam asked. _

''_Leo said I have no daddy,'' Lissy pouted. _

_Sam swallowed hard. Leo was almost a teenager now and he didn't know what the boy picked up, but he was definitely going to have a talk with Jerry about it. ''You have a mommy who loves you very much and I love you very much too.''_

_Lissy nodded. ''You are my daddy.'' _

_Sam smiled and kissed her forehead. ''As long as you keep that in mind.'' He knew they would have to talk about this when she was older. He once asked Sarah how he should handle this, she told him to just be honest and get it over with. ''Kids bounce back quickly'' were her words. ''Just don't lie to her, that will only backfire later.'' _

_XX_

From that moment Lissy had called Sam 'Daddy'. And he was, maybe not biologically, but he was the one that did everything a good father should do for his kids.

''Mommy was tired all day,'' Lissy said in a sad voice. ''I don't like the baby.'' Lissy had a serious look on her face while she shook her head.

Sam knew this one was coming. Andy was nearing the end of her pregnancy. The pregnancy wasn't really easy on Andy and that took its toll on Lissy. For the last few weeks Andy wasn't allowed to do a whole lot anymore, Lissy blamed the baby in her mommy's tummy for that.

''Your baby brother will be here soon,'' Sam promised. 'After that mommy will be able to do more stuff with you again.''

''How long will it stay?'' Lissy asked. Sam smiled at that question, he didn't get how kid's minds work. One moment she would amaze him with some smart remark and the next moment she would ask questions like this, showing him she really didn't understand a whole lot of their family dynamics yet.

''Once the baby is born it will stay with us sweetie,'' Sam said. ''You'll love him, I promise.''

''Can I stay too?'' Lissy asked with her big eyes filled with fear. Sam really didn't know where she got that from, but he guessed one of the other daycare kids filled her head with things to worry about. And when it came down to worrying, Lissy was a copy of her mother.

''You will always stay with me and mommy sweetie. When the baby comes we'll love you just the same okay? Nothing is ever going to change that.''

''Promise?'' Lissy asked while pressing her face to Sam's chest. Sam kissed the top of her head and stroked her back.

''I promise,'' he said. He never got to read her that story because Lissy stayed like that until she fell asleep. When Sam was sure she was in a deep sleep he untangled himself from her and stood up. A picture on her wall was hanging crooked so he quickly pulled it straight again. The picture was taken the day Lissy became a Swarek.

XX

_Sam was on patrol when his cell phone rang. He was riding alone and parked the car so he could answer his phone. _

''_Swarek,'' he answered. _

''_Mr. Swarek, this is Lauren Field from Lissy's daycare,'' _

''_Yes?'' Sam asked immediately alarmed, they never called and whenever they did call they would contact Andy. _

''_I can't reach your fiancée and you are the second number on her emergency contact list,'' the teacher explained._

''_What's going on?'' Sam asked willing the woman to just get to the point already. _

''_Lissy took a pretty hard fall from a high surface, we're at the hospital with her right now,''_

''_How is she?'' Sam asked feeling his throat tightening. _

''_She was alert, but we don't want to take any risks.'' _

''_I'm on my way.'' Sam ended the call. _

_He flicked on his siren and made an illegal turn to get to the hospital as soon as possible. He tried to call Andy, but it went straight to voicemail. He knew she was working with Peck that day so he tried that number too. When Gail answered he told her McNally needed to get her butt over to the hospital as soon as possible. He tried to keep the panicking to a minimum, knowing that whatever was going through him right now, Andy would feel ten times worse. _

_Gail promised him to keep Andy calm, well as calm as possible, and get her to the hospital. They probably would be later than him because they weren't even close to the hospital. _

_When Sam reached the hospital he quickly parked the cruiser and ran towards the desk. He got instructions for where they probably took Lissy, but the nurse behind that desk would not give him any information because he was not her father. His badge didn't seem to impress her so he asked her if he could speak to the woman who brought the girl in. _

_Sam could kill the nurses for not allowing him to sit with Lissy, but deep inside he knew this was only to protect Lissy. Anybody could claim to be her stepdad and he didn't have any proof he was indeed her stepfather. _

_It took the nurse a few minutes to get Lauren there but when she finally did Lauren told him Lissy was going to be fine. The doctors had ran a few tests and she didn't have a concussion. Her head wound could be glued, so she didn't need stitches. At the daycare they were just very cautious when it came to things like this, so they didn't want to risk anything. _

_When Andy came running in Sam explained to her what was going on. When she showed her ID to the nurse she got spoken to by a doctor immediately, who also explained them that Lissy was in no danger, but that the daycare handled things very well because things could have been a lot more serious. _

_That night they were lying in bed, both exhausted from their day when Sam rolled to face Andy. _

''_I want to adopt Lissy,'' he told her. _

''_What?'' she asked him. _

''_I hated not being able to get information about her just because we don't share DNA. I'm her father no matter what anybody tells me. When we get married, you'll be a Swarek and I want us to be a family together so let's make a Swarek out of her too.'' _

_Andy nodded. She understood everything he said and totally agreed with it too. If anything would ever happen to her at least Lissy would stay behind with the other person that loved her most. _

''_It can be really expensive,'' Andy said. ''It probably shouldn't be so hard though. Mark never made any parental claims so he's not on her birth certificate. We don't even need to include him on it.'' _

''_We'll manage,'' Sam reassured her. ''We've saved up enough money over the last few months.'' _

''_Do we have to get married before you can adopt her?'' Andy asked. _

''_I don't know, we'll call a lawyer. Doesn't have to happen tomorrow, but in the future I want her to be my daughter officially.'' _

_Andy smiled and kissed him. ''We'll make it work,'' she said. _

_XX_

It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be, but everything worked out and now Lissy was officially his daughter. Sam looked over to her one more time before flicking off all the lights and moving to his own bedroom.

Andy was in the middle of the bed on her back. Her big belly was standing up proudly and Sam decided he might as well turn in too. He stripped to his boxers and pushed Andy so he could have some room too. When he nudged her, her eyes fluttered open.

''Hey,'' she said. ''You're home.''

''Yeah, have been for a while actually. Had a little heart to heart with our daughter.''

''God, she was so tiring today. I swear to god, she skipped the terrible twos and made it terrible threes.'' Andy groaned.

Sam smiled and pulled Andy's head to his chest. He let his hand wonder over her belly and he felt his son kick against his hand. ''She's been through a lot,'' he tried to reason with his wife.

''I know,'' Andy said. ''I feel sorry for her, I wish I could do fun things with her too.''

''Just a little while right?'' Sam asked. ''How are you feeling today?''

''Okay I guess, at least he was active today, that was reassuring after yesterday.'' Andy winced when she tried to get comfortable again and let out a deep breath. ''Not really in the mood to drag you to the hospital again.''

''At least we found out he is okay,'' Sam reasoned. Andy hadn't felt the baby move in a long time yesterday, when she checked the internet she found out it was too long. Sam tried to tell her not to look medical stuff up on the internet, it would only drive her crazy, but she insisted he called the doctor. The doctor told him it was probably nothing, but they could come in to do some test just to be sure.

Sam had called Izzie Shaw and she had come over to watch Lissy. When they were at the doctor's office the doctor did some tests and tricks and their baby kicked up a storm. Andy shed a few tears and Sam let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

''I really hope Lissy will handle everything when he's born,'' Andy sighed. ''She's had so many changes already and she's only three.''

''She's flexible and she's almost four. Soon she'll be going to school and the baby will sleep all the time anyway. You can use your maternity leave to have some quality time with her.''

Andy pushed her face in his neck and he felt water dripping on his neck after a few seconds. ''Oh, come on Andy, please don't cry.''

Sam always thought that stories about hormones were exaggerated, but now he had actually experienced an entire pregnancy, he had to agree with the stories you sometimes heard. The first few weeks of her pregnancy Andy had stayed pretty much the same, except for the constant vomiting. Sam worried about her like crazy, she didn't seem to be able to keep anything down and she looked pale and thin. When she passed that stage she was all over him constantly. Every time they were alone she would be in his lap, yanking off his shirt. The last few weeks she was opposite of that, she felt fat, ugly and cried all the time. Andy never cried a lot before she was pregnant so Sam didn't really know how to comfort her. Experience (and Sarah) told him to just hold her and tell her everything would work out.

''I just don't know what I did to deserve you,'' she sniffled. ''You are like the best husband a girl could wish for. You always are so sweet and you are such a good dad and you're always there whenever anybody needs you. You always put up with me and my stupid crying and you still tell me I'm beautiful even when I'm really really not.'' After that she let out another sob and Sam couldn't help but chuckle.

''You're beautiful,'' he promised. ''You're carrying a child, so it's only natural your body changes a little sweetie.''

''A little?'' Andy asked all of the sudden done with the crying. ''I'm like a fricking whale.''

''Hey, you're still sexy.''

''Yeah my inability to move must be a huge turn on.''

Sam ran his hand over her belly again and moved his head down so he could press his lips to the place where his son was kicking like crazy. ''Yeah, it really is.'' He grinned.

''I promise you, within three months I'll fit back into my wedding dress. I'll just start working out as soon as I can and then I'll be back in no time.''

''Let's just first get that baby out of you safely and then we'll take it slow okay? I love you either way,''

''Three months, my wedding dress,'' Andy said one more time.

XX

_They both didn't really know what kind of wedding they wanted. Actually, Sam wanted Andy to just plan the thing and tell him where to be and when to be there. Andy couldn't make up her mind on what she wanted. _

_When they were visiting Sarah in St. Catherines they were walking together in the snow. Lissy was already asleep and Sarah had promised to take care of her in case she woke up. Sam had his arm around Andy to protect her from the cold. When he pressed his lips to her temple she whispered. _

''_I don't want to wait Sam.''_

''_On what?'' he asked questioning. _

''_Let's just get married, I don't care about the flowers or a big celebration diner. I just want to be your wife.'' _

_Sam looked at her and shook his head. ''You've been dreaming about a wedding since you were 6, don't think I don't overhear those conversations you have with Nash. You deserve a wedding like the one in your dreams, so you're getting it.'' _

''_You really want to stand in front of a hundred people and talk about how you feel for me?'' she teased. _

''_Well, don't expect me to write my own vows, but if you want a big wedding than we'll do it.'' _

''_I don't want that,'' she said again. ''All those dreams were great when I was little, but that was fantasising about a beautiful dress, lots of pretty flowers and people watching you all day. All of that doesn't matter. What matters is that I love you and that I want to be your wife. And I know you hate the idea of being the centre of attention and you've done so much for me. Let's keep it small, romantic.'' _

_Sam sighed and nudges his nose with hers. ''You sure?'' he asked her. _

''_Positive, but I do want a dress,'' she grinned. _

''_Yeah, I think Lissy would be heartbroken if we didn't have a dress for you and her.''_

''_We can't have that,'' Andy said slowly before kissing him fiercely. _

_When they broke apart Sam rested his forehead against hers. ''So when do you want to get married McNally?'' _

''_As soon as possible,'' she whispered before crashing their mouths together again. _

_Sam let all the planning to her. She managed to get everything together within two weeks. Frank wasn't too happy he would be down a lot of his officers for a day, but he was happy one of his oldest friends finally found someone to be with. _

_They only invited a handful of people, but their wedding was everything they wished for. Andy wore a strapless white gown with a sweetheart neckline. The dress had a drop waist and a full skirt. When Tommy walked her down the aisle Sam felt his throat tighten. She looked stunning, but the best thing about her look that day was the smile on her face. That smile told Sam she was happy, that she was as sure of him as he was of her. Lissy wore a princess dress too and spent the entire day looking in as many mirrors as possible. Sam wore a simple suit, and while Andy thought he looked incredibly handsome, Andy secretly preferred his jeans and t-shirt look. _

_Like he already told her, Sam didn't want to write his own vows, so they used traditional ones. Andy was a little disappointed, but she knew writing his own vows was way too difficult for him. She knew he loved her, so she decided traditional vows would do. In a way she thought it was romantic that those words had married so many couples in history. _

_After they were officially Mr. and Mrs. Swarek, they had a small party. They didn't have a spot light dance, because Sam was too cool for that. Instead Sam took her in his arms when everybody else was on the dancefloor too. He told her she never looked more beautiful and that he loved her and Lissy more than he loved his own life. Andy told him she never thought she would have all of this and that there wasn't anyone she trusted her heart, her daughter, her life more with. So secretly they shared their own vows whispering in each other's ear while the people they loved were having fun. _

_Sarah took Lissy for their wedding night, but as soon as morning arrived Andy insisted they picked her up again. For their honeymoon they went away for a weekend, just the two of them. They had a great time and enjoyed each other fully. Secretly they were both missing Lissy, so when their weekend at the hotel was over neither of them was disappointed to go home. After the weekend they went away a full week just the three of them. As much as Sam loved to have Andy to himself for two days, he loved seeing this side of her more. Without Lissy they were incomplete, he couldn't even imagine how their life together would look without the girl. _

_At work Andy stayed McNally, not wanting any confusion. When Sam made detective and left 15__th__ to go work with Guns and Gangs, Andy became officer Swarek. _

_XX_

They laid together in silence. Sam's hand was under her shirt resting on her belly, every now and then their son would give a kick followed by Sam kissing her neck. Andy sighed and tried to shift again, making herself a little more comfortable.

''You okay?'' Sam asked when she winced in pain.

''Yeah, just really uncomfortable.''

''It will be worth it in a while,'' Sam tried comforting her.

''It's worth it now,'' Andy assured while repositioning herself.

XX

_Andy looked at the test in her hand. It couldn't be? Could it? She couldn't actually be this lucky? _

_She quickly dropped the test and picked up the other test she took, that showed her the same result. _

_A week before their wedding Sam and her had talked about their lives together. He was sitting on the couch, she was lying on it with her head in his lap. Sam wanted three more kids, Andy told him she was totally fine with that, as long as he would deliver them. He chuckled before getting serious. _

''_Let's start trying,'' he said. _

''_What?'' she asked while sitting up. ''We aren't even married yet mister.'' _

''_Okay, so finish your last prescription and then stop birth control.'' _

''_Already?'' she asked a little taken aback. She wanted kids with him, she knew he would be the best dad ever, he already was too Lissy. She knew he deserved to have kids of his own, to get to know a new person from day one. He would never get those moments with Lissy. _

''_Andy, I don't know if you noticed but unlike some of us, I'm not in my twenties anymore.'' Sam really hated the age difference. He didn't feel older than she was, but whenever their age difference was pointed out he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. ''I don't want to be one of those dads that is too old to do anything with their kids. So yeah, if you think we're ready, let's start trying.'' _

_A part of Andy was hesitant, but another part of her thought back to the moment where Lissy was placed in her arms. She was so happy, despite everything that was wrong in that moment. She could only imagine how she would feel when everything was as perfect as her life was right now. ''Yeah,'' she said before a smile started on her face. ''I'll finish this set of pills and then let's start,'' _

_And now here she was, just two months married with a positive pregnancy test in her hands. Andy quickly washed her hands and hid the tests. Sam wasn't home, so she spent the whole day with Lissy. _

_When Sam walked into the house that night Lissy was already in bed. He had a long day and was happy to just be home and spent some time with his wife. Andy had saved him dinner and heated it up for him while he was watching TV. She wanted to just blur out she was pregnant, but she thought that maybe she should make it memorable. While Sam was eating Andy kept looking at him. Sam noticed her behaviour and raised his eyebrows at her. _

''_What?'' he asked. _

''_What?'' Andy fired back. _

''_You keep looking at me.'' _

''_Well, you're very easy on the eyes mister,'' Andy complimented her husband. _

_Sam chuckled and took another bite. ''Yeah, you're not so bad yourself either.'' _

''_So.. how was your day?'' she asked sheepishly. _

''_Long, really don't want to talk about it anymore.'' _

_Andy nodded, she knew Sam by now and she knew he would talk to her whenever he felt like he needed too. _

''_Your day?'' he asked. ''How was our little hurricane?'' _

''_Which one?'' Andy asked not being able to hold it in anymore. Who was she kidding, she was telling him she was pregnant with his child. This moment would be memorable no matter what. _

_Sam looked at her with a questioning face, not getting at what she meant. _

''_So, I took a pregnancy test today,'' she tried. _

_Sam's eyes opened wider and the corners of his mouth went up a little. ''You're pregnant?'' he asked. _

''_Well, I'll have to go to a doctor to confirm it, but yeah I think I am,'' Andy smiled widely and smiled even harder when Sam was on top of her in a heartbeat. _

_He kissed her more gentle than he ever kissed her before. He supported himself with his arms, not willing to put any weight on her now that she was carrying a child, his child. _

_From the moment they learned she was pregnant Sam was even more protective of her than before. He wouldn't let her do any heavy lifting, made sure she ate properly and went out to buy vitamins the moment the doctor suggested she started taking those. _

_At times Andy was irritated by it, but she couldn't help but smile every time he told her he was only doing it to keep their baby, and therefore her, safe. _

_They tried to explain to Lissy what was going on, but she didn't really understand or cared about it. Sarah had bought her a book that explained her why her mother's belly was growing. After that Lissy would sometimes poke at her stomach to see if the baby would talk to her, but she always was disappointed nothing came out. _

_One of the best moments of her pregnancy was a night where she was so tired Sam made Andy go to bed early. He woke her up to give Lissy a kiss goodnight, knowing she wouldn't want to miss that part of the evening. Lissy snuggled up to her mother and raised her shirt so she could put her hands on Andy's bare stomach. Andy had crème that would prevent her skin from getting to many stretch marks. Sam took it and put a little on his hand, he rubbed it over her stomach and Lissy helped him spread it around. It was the most intimate moment they had shared as a family and Andy had tears in her eyes. When Sam announced they were done Lissy had pressed her lips to her mother's stomach and told the baby goodnight as well. _

_XX_

Sam woke up when he heard something fall in the kitchen. He moved his hand to the other side of the bed, but that side was empty. He threw the covers off of him and yawned as he made his way downstairs. When he walked into the kitchen Andy was standing a little bent over with one hand on her stomach, the other one at the counter and at her feet there were lots of pieces of glass.

Sam looked up to her face and saw she was in pain immediately. ''Andy, you okay?'' he asked panicked.

''It's time,'' Andy said while trying to breath trough her nose. ''I think it's time.''

Sam helped her step out of the glass without hurting her feet and called Tommy to let him know he should come over and stay with Lissy. Sam knew his father in law would be there within ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity. He needed a doctor to tell him his wife was okay and his son would be born today.

Andy knew Sam was nervous so when she was relaxed again she ran a hand up and down his arm. ''Sam, I'm fine okay? It can take hours, I don't need a hospital right this second. I didn't even want to wake you up yet, thought it was better to let you get some sleep first,''

''You were up for a while already?'' Sam asked accusingly.

''Sam relax, my contractions are miles apart. It could still be a false alarm, my water hasn't broke yet. I'm 38 weeks pregnant so there's a good chance this is just a false alarm.''

''You should have told me,'' Sam said again. He knew Andy just wanted him to get more sleep, but if she was in pain he needed to be there for her. He had read horror stories about everything that could go wrong during a delivery. After the last few weeks Sam was stressed enough about the whole thing as it was.

XX

_Lissy was with Traci for the day so Sam and Andy could work on the nursery together. Well, so that Andy could tell Sam what to do with the nursery actually. She was 34 weeks pregnant and they were a little behind on everything. Sam wouldn't allow her to do anything. The walls were already painted so he didn't have to worry about fumes anymore, but still there was a lot that needed to be done and he could do it by himself. _

_Andy went to the bathroom while he was putting together the crib their son would sleep in. He knew something was wrong the moment she walked back in the nursery. She was pale and he saw she had been crying. _

''_Everything okay?'' Sam asked worried. _

''_I'm bleeding,'' Andy said. _

''_The doctor said that's pretty normal right?'' Sam asked. A few weeks ago she had been bleeding a little after they had sex, she called the doctor but apparently that was a very common thing. _

''_Not like this, it's a lot,'' Andy said while her eyes filled with tears again. ''What if something is wrong?'' _

_Sam knew it was his job to keep calm now, but that was pretty hard. He swallowed a few times and stood up so he could take Andy in his arms. ''Everything will be okay, I'm going to take you to the hospital and we're going to make sure you are both okay.'' _

_The waiting in the hospital seemed to take ages, but when the OBGYN finally arrived she told them it was probably nothing to worry about. After she checked Andy she told them she would be back in a few moments. The doctor looked like something was up, but she didn't tell them anything yet. _

_Andy looked at Sam, she was still on the edge of tears and she saw Sam was struggling now too. The doctor didn't say anything was wrong, but she didn't say nothing was wrong either. In all the time she had known Sam she hadn't seen him cry once, but now it looked like he was fighting it. _

_Andy placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. When he looked at her she gave him a watery smile and he gently leaned in to kiss her while he used his hand to brush the bangs out of her eyes. ''I love you, we'll be okay,'' he promised. _

_When the doctor returned she did a few more test and told them it was very wise that they came to the hospital immediately. The doctor told them Andy had to stay on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. Her blood pressure was way too high and the loss of blood was her body's way of alarming her for premature labor. As long as she would rest and keep track of any changes in her body, there was no reason to assume she and the baby were in any kind of danger. _

_Sam sighed with relief when he heard his wife and son would be okay as long as she would keep calm. He kissed her forehead as soon as the doctor left the room. He took her home again and made sure she had everything she needed in the bedroom. He moved the TV to the bedroom and places multiple water bottles by her bed. Sam bought her every fashion or gossip magazine he could find and made sure she had enough blankets to stay warm. _

_When Lissy came home that night Sam explained to her that Andy had to stay in bed until her baby brother was here. Lissy didn't understand and demanded her mother would tuck her in tonight. Sam knew she was just fighting for her place, being afraid that the baby would take her place. When Sam picked Lissy up to carry her to bed, Lissy squirmed in his arms. She was actually screaming that she wanted her mother. Sam knew this wasn't personal, Oliver and Jeff had told them their kids always wanted their mother too whenever anything was up. He tried to stay patient and compromised with Lissy that she could stay in her mother's bed until she was asleep. Sam would carry her to her own bed later. _

_Sam just didn't even have the energy to fight with Lissy over it, so he tucked her into their bed. He knew Lissy had a difficult time. When she was in bed with Andy she tugged on Sam's sleeve and Sam laid down next to her. They fell asleep together like that, just the three (well, technically four) of them. _

_XX_

Tommy arrived fairly quickly and kissed his daughter and told her good luck. He would be able to stay with Lissy for as long as possible, he would call Sam whenever anything was up.

Sam took Andy's bag that had been ready for a while now, he escorted her to the truck and helped her in.

They were seen very fast in the hospital. Andy was indeed in labor, but she wasn't dilated the ten centimeters she needed. Sam asked the doctor to give her an epidural, Andy didn't protest so the doctor gave her something to take some of the pain away. After a while it was just the two of them again, Andy lying in bed and Sam sitting by her side holding her hand.

''So,'' Andy said. ''Ready to meet your son?''

Sam smiled and squeezed her hand. ''Yeah, you?''

Andy closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. ''Yeah, can't wait,'' she was silent for a few moments before she spoke again. ''Can you please call my dad and let him know it will be a while? Ask him how Lissy is.''

Sam checked his watch and saw Lissy would probably be still asleep. ''It's pretty early sweetheart, your dad probably laid down to get some rest too. I'll call him later okay?''

''Yeah, okay you're right,'' Andy said. She closed her eyes and squeezed Sam's hand hard. Sam pushed the bangs out of her face and stayed silent until she opened her eyes again.

''God, I hate seeing you like this,'' Sam admitted.

''Doctor said it would take like 20 minutes for the epidural to kick in,'' Andy cupped Sam's face with one hand. She knew he would never admit it, but he was nervous. She had seen this look on him so many times during her pregnancy, the nerves of everything that was happening to his wife was too much for him from time to time.

Sam looked her in the eye and kissed her forehead again. ''Anything I can do for you?'' he asked.

''You're doing it right now.''

XX

_Andy was four months pregnant and was starting to show. She asked Frank if he could put her on desk duty after someone threatened to shoot her during a B&E gone wrong. Nothing happened, but the experience shook her up quite a bit. _

_When she came home that night Sam was already there. He had picked Lissy up from daycare and he was sitting at the dinner table while he was feeding their daughter. Andy had called him in tears right after the B&E, but just seeing her family made her tear up again. She walked over to Lissy and kissed the top of her head while she smelled her hair. Sam put his hand on her lower back and pulled her towards him so she could sit in his lap. _

''_It's okay, you're okay,'' he whispered. _

''_God Sam, it was like a really close call. If Oliver wouldn't have been there..'' _

''_He was, he had your back.'' Sam reminded himself he should thank his friend for looking out for his wife. _

''_Mama, look,'' Lissy said while she picked up something from the table. _

_Andy took the drawing from her daughter, it was just a couple of stripes in different colours._

''_That's really pretty sweetie,'' Andy praised her daughter. She stood up from Sam's lap and picked up Lissy so she could kiss the girl on the cheek. Lissy took the drawing again and pointed at the first stripe. _

''_Mama,'' she said. Then she moved over to the next stripe. ''Issie,'' her finger moved further down the page. ''Sam,'' and the last stripe was ''Baby,'' _

_Andy smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple. ''really pretty sweetie, go hang it on the refrigerator.''_

_Lissy ran away as soon as her feet hit the ground. Andy heard her say ''pretty,'' when the picture was hanging and chuckled to herself. Her daughter really was quite the character. _

_Sam was already cleaning Lissy's plate and told Andy he would make her something. _

''_I already ate at the station, Oliver bought me food.'' _

''_Oliver bought food for you?'' Sam asked. ''You really must have scared the hell out of him McNally.'' _

_Andy nodded and followed Lissy into the living room. They had some family time until Andy noticed it was time for Lissy to go to bed. _

_When Lissy was tucked in Andy walked back into the living room, Sam was sitting at the table with a laptop. Andy didn't want to bring anything up in front of Lissy, but she was worried about Sam. Lately he had been a little distant, Andy didn't know what was going on with him and she knew better than to push him. _

_She stood behind him and put her face in his neck. ''You okay?'' she asked him quietly. _

''_Yeah, you?'' he asked. _

_Andy just nodded and sat down next to Sam. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She sighed deeply and pressed her lips to his arm. ''I'm insanely happy,'' she confessed. _

''_Good,'' Sam said. He pressed his lips to her temple, closed his laptop and stood up. He walked to the couch and flipped on the TV before laying down. _

''_Are you sure you're okay?'' Andy tried one more time. Over the years she really had tried to let Sam have his space, but she was a talker, she couldn't help it. _

''_Yes,'' Sam said his attention on the TV. _

_Andy rolled her eyes and stood up too to sit down next to him. ''Okay,'' she said. While they were watching a stupid movie neither of them was really focussing on, Andy ran her fingers through Sam's hair. _

_When she looked down at him he was staring at the ceiling. Andy sighed and put her hand on his chest. ''Please let me in,'' she practically begged. _

_Sam sighed and ran his hand across his face. ''It's nothing,'' he tried to assure her._

''_Then just tell me what it is so I can at least stop worrying,'' Andy tried. ''I know you don't want to talk, but sometimes you need to talk to me even when you don't want to.'' _

''_You want me to talk, I want you to stop worrying. Looks like we're both fighting a losing battle aren't we?'' Sam asked, his eyes shining just a little more than she had seen recently. _

_She pinched his arm and he faked to be hurt. ''I promise you I'll be fine,'' he said one more time. _

_Andy rested her hand on the small bump that was under her shirt. Sam moved his hand to cover hers and looked at her stomach. _

''_When did you feel Lissy move for the first time?'' he asked her. _

''_Around nineteen weeks or so,'' Andy said. ''With the second pregnancy I should probably feel something sooner.'' _

_Sam nodded and ran his hand up and down her stomach. ''Seems so unrealistic right now.''_

''_Is that what this is about?'' Andy asked. Andy had read a few books about pregnancy, apparently it was harder for guys to get attached to the baby early in the pregnancy._

_Sam sighed and closed his eyes. ''I just don't want Lissy to feel like I love her brother or sister more than I love her.'' _

''_You afraid of that?'' Andy asked. _

''_I don't know,'' he admitted. ''I don't think it's possible.'' He shook his head. ''But I don't want to have a favorite either way.'' _

''_You are not that guy Sam,'' Andy said. ''I know you'll love this baby just as much as you love Lissy. And I'm not even worried for a second about you putting him or her before Lissy.'' _

''_You have a lot of faith in me,'' Sam said before his softly kissed the little bump. _

''_Well, you've proven yourself to me over and over again so it's justified,'' Andy promised. _

_After that night things got a little better, but Andy saw it was still bothering Sam from time to time. She tried not to bring it up, he needed to deal with this alone. That was just how he coped. _

_Things got a little better again when Sam felt the baby move for the first time. Andy had felt it two nights before, but Sam wasn't with her. She was lying in bed, Sam was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. All of the sudden there was it again, that fluttering in her belly. _

''_Sam, come here,'' she yelled. _

_Sam was in the bedroom within two seconds, toothbrush still in his hands. '"What's wrong?'' he asked. _

_Andy took his hand and laid it on her stomach. Sam looked at her with a questioning look but Andy gestured he should have some patience. After about a minute Sam felt something too. It was a light movement, but he definitely felt something there. Andy started smiling when she saw the smile on his face. _

_Two weeks later they had another sonogram. When the doctor asked them if they wanted to know the sex of the baby Sam looked to Andy._

''_It's up to you,'' he said. _

''_Tell us,'' Andy grinned. ''I need to know what clothes to buy. Sam rolled his eyes, but smiled._

_The doctor pointed at the screen in front of them. ''You are looking at your son,'' she said. _

_Andy and Sam both let out a little breath and looked at each other. In that moment Sam knew everything would be okay. Not that it would have been any different if it would have been a girl, but just knowing what would come out of Andy made it a little more real for him. _

''_I love you,'' he told her before he gently kissed her, not minding the presence of the doctor. _

_XX_

It took Andy up to six hours to fully dilate. Sam felt so bad for her. She looked tired, she probably was because she got hardly any sleep. Hell he was exhausted and his body wasn't working to get a tiny person out of it.

When she was allowed to start pushing she asked Sam if he could sit behind her. She needed to hold both of his hands and lean back against him. Sam obeyed, just happy there was something he could do to make this a little better for her.

While she was pushing she was squeezing Sam's hand, when she stopped the first time she asked if she was hurting him. Sam smiled knowing this was typically his wife. Here she was, giving birth to their son and she was worrying about hurting his hands.

''No sweetheart, you're perfect, you're doing so good,'' he praised her.

After twenty minutes of pushing Andy couldn't take it anymore. She shook her head and rested it against Sam's shoulder. ''I can't anymore,'' she cried. ''Please, I really can't.''

Sam looked a little lost at the doctor, hoping she would have some words of encouragement for his wife.

''Mrs. Swarek,'' she started.

''Andy,'' Andy said, not liking to be called Mrs.''

Sam rolled his eyes again while the doctor continued. ''Andy, just a few more pushes and you have a beautiful son. You can do this okay? Just let your husband help you and give us everything you've got.''

Andy nodded while another tear fell from her eyes. ''Okay,'' she said.

The doctor was right, it took two more pushes before she felt something slip out of her and she heard the first cries of her son.

Sam kissed her temple and tried to get a first look to his son. When they laid him down on Andy's chest she was done for. She started crying out loud and caressed his cheek with her finger.

''Hey buddy, I'm your mommy,'' she whispered while crying.

Sam moved to the side of Andy so he could get a good look at his son. He nodded at Andy and kissed her lightly on the lips. ''He's beautiful,'' he said.

''Do we have a name already?'' the doctor asked.

Andy looked at Sam and nodded at him.

''Noah,'' Sam said. ''Noah Tom Swarek,''

The doctor handed a pair of scissors to Sam and told him where to cut the umbilical cord. Sam gently laid his hand on Andy's arm, just to let her know he was here with her.

''Okay, we'll take Noah and check him okay?'' the doctor said. ''We'll hand him back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime we will clean you up and we'll move you to another room.''

An hour later Andy was in clean clothes, with her son in her arms. Sam was sitting on the bed too caressing his son's face.

''You want to hold him?'' Andy asked.

''Yeah,'' Sam nodded. He carefully placed his arms under Andy's and took Noah from her. All the fears he felt during Andy's pregnancy felt so irrational right now. It wasn't possible he would ever pick any of his kids as his favorite. One look at his son and he loved him just as much as he loved Lissy.

When there was a knock to the door Sam handed Noah back to Andy. He knew it would be Tommy and Lissy and he would like to have his hands free to keep Lissy from attacking her brother or mother with her big hugs.

''Daddy,'' Lissy yelled while she came running in. ''Grandpa gave this,'' she held out a string with a balloon attached to it. The balloon said '_Baby boy'_.

''There's someone for you to meet,'' Sam said before he kissed Lissy hello. ''You have to be careful okay?''

Lissy nodded and looked at her mother. ''Mommy,'' she said before holding her arms out.

Andy gestured Sam to place Lissy on the opposite side of Noah. Sam walked towards the edge of the bed and placed Lissy on it. Lissy crawled towards Andy and gave her a open mouth kiss on the lips.

Sam stayed behind Lissy to keep her from making any sudden movements that could hurt Noah.

''Look sweetie, your baby brother is here,'' Andy said to Lissy.

Lissy looked at the bundle in her mother's arms before looking back at Sam. ''Small,'' she said.

Sam laughed and ran his hand over Lissy's head. ''Yeah sweetie, he's a baby. His name is Noah Tom,'' Sam looked at his father in law while he said the last name. It was his idea to name their son after Andy's father.

Tommy had kept his distance until that moment, giving the new family a few moments to themselves. When he heard his son in law saying that the small baby in his daughters arms would be named after him he started smiling. He took a few steps forward and kissed Andy.

''Congratulations sweetie, he's beautiful.'' Tommy walked to the other side of the bed and shook Sam's hand. ''Congratulations son.''

''Thank you sir,'' Sam said.

Lissy was still looking at her baby brother. When she reached her hand out to touch him Andy told her to be careful.

Lissy gently poked Noah's nose and when he let out a yawn in that moment Lissy started giggling. ''Funny,'' she said.

Tommy stayed for a little while but decided the family should be alone. He asked Sam if he needed to pick up Lissy later, but Andy told Sam to take her home. She and Noah were well taken care of and they all needed to get some proper sleep.

Sam had called Sarah ten minutes after Noah was born, she jumped into her car immediately and called Sam when she was in front of the hospital. Sam took Lissy and told her aunt Sarah was here.

He held Lissy's hand as he made his way downstairs. When Lissy saw Sarah she let go of Sam's hand and ran towards Sarah. ''Auntie Sarah,'' she screamed. Sarah took Lissy in her arms and gave her a kiss. As difficult as the first meeting had been, when Sarah noticed Andy was serious about Sam, she put Andy and Lissy in her heart. ''Where's Laura?''

Lissy was kind of crazy about Sarah's daughter, but it was a school day so Laura was at home with Jeff. ''Home, but you'll see her soon.'' Sarah knew it probably would last till the weekend until she couldn't stop her daughter from coming and meeting her new nephew.

Sam had reached his sister as well. ''Hey Sare,'' he greeted her. He kissed her cheek and she pulled him in a big hug.

''Congratulations little brother, how do you feel?''

''Overwhelmed, happy, tired but most of all just thankful they are both okay,'' Sam summed up.

''So how is your little brother?'' Sarah asked turning to Lissy again.

''Small,'' Lissy said.

''What's his name sweetie?''

''Too difficult,'' Lissy shrugged. Sam smiled and took Lissy's hand again. They walked towards Andy's room. Andy had her eyes closed, Noah was sleeping in the basinet next to her bed.

Sarah immediately walked over to the newest addition to the family and gave her brother a big smile. ''God Sam, he's gorgeous. Look at that hair.''

Sam smiled, they definitely made a good looking kid there.

Andy's eyes fluttered open and she sat up immediately. ''Hey,'' she said.

Sarah sat down on Andy's bed and gave her a hug. ''Congratulations Andy, how are you feeling?''

''Physically a little sore and tired, for everything else I feel perfect.''

Sarah looked at her sister in law and looked back to her brother. She had been so sceptical at first, she was afraid Sam was just convenient for Andy. A helpful babysitter who would do anything for her. Over the years Andy had proven that she loved Sam more than she valued her own life.

Sarah looked over at Noah and couldn't resist. She walked over to the basinet again and looked inside. ''May I?'' she asked Andy.

''Off course,'' Andy said. Sam had lifted Lissy on to the bed again so she could snuggle up to her mother. Andy pressed a kiss to Lissy's temple.

''Can I get you anything?'' Sam whispered in Andy's ear.

''I would kill for a sandwich,'' Andy said. She didn't really had anything to eat since she had gone into labor. She was starving.

''On it,'' Sam said before he kissed her and left the room.

XX

The next day Andy and Noah could go home. Sam and Lissy picked them up together and Lissy finally seemed a little bit excited about her baby brother.

''Daddy, can I show baby my doll?''

''What was his name again?'' Sam tried again.

''Noah,'' Lissy sighed.

''Good job sweetie,'' Sam said. ''Of course you can show him your dolls, but he's a baby and baby's sleep a lot. Just wait till he's a little bit bigger and you can play with him.''

''Cool,'' Lissy said.

After the discharge papers were finalised and Andy had everything she needed to take with her, they hit the road again. After a quick ride they were at their home.

They spent the entire day just the three of them. Jerry and Traci had come by the hospital the night before and Oliver had made a visit too. The rest of their friends would follow the next couple of days, but first they needed some time to themselves.

Andy was feeling pretty good so she was the one that brought Lissy to bed that night. After she knew her daughter was asleep Andy turned in too. Sam woke her when it was time for Noah to nurse. Sam had taken the baby with him so Andy could stay in bed. While she was nursing their son Sam stayed on the bed with them, just watching how his son was drinking.

''If anybody would have told you all of this the day I arrested you, you probably would have laughed at their faces wouldn't you,'' Andy smiled.

Sam ran his knuckles over his son's cheek. ''We've definitely come a long way,'' he agreed.

''Lissy seem to be adjusting okay right?'' Andy asked. She thought Lissy was doing okay, but Sam had seen more of her than she had the last couple of days.

''Yeah, she's doing good. I think we should make sure we schedule in time for just her, but she seems to like the fact that she is the big sister now,'' Sam chuckled.

''Just wait till she tries and dress him up,'' Andy says. ''Or when she uses him as a make up doll.''

''We will definitely have to prevent that,'' Sam warned. He leaned in to kiss the top of Noah's head. ''Thank you,'' he whispered before pressing his lips to Andy's.

''For what?'' Andy asked.

''Giving me this,'' Sam said as he ran his hand over Noah's arm. ''Our family's perfect.''

''It is,'' Andy agreed.

''Love you,'' Sam whispered.

''Love you too.''

-The end-

XX

Authors note: Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and PM's, they really motivated me to write this. I hope I can come up with something new in the future, we'll see what the new year brings!


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